BIDA Family Dance Timing

April 2nd, 2018
contra, organizing
Someone was asking how the BIDA family dance timing works, so here's it written up:
5:00
hall opens, family dance musicians set up on the floor
5:30
family dance starts
5:45
most of the kids who are coming are here by now
6:00
sound person arrives for evening dance, starts setting up on stage
6:30
family dance ends, start setting up for potluck
6:34
tables and chairs are set up, people start getting potluck food
6:41
everyone has their food
6:45
evening band starts their sound check
6:50
most of the kids are done eating, back to running around
7:00
most of the adults are done eating, though still at the tables
7:05
beginner's workshop starts by the stage, people keep eating
7:15
people start cleaning up from the potluck
7:30
workshop ends, evening dance starts

And a series of diagrams showing how this works out in our hall:

While this looks like very tight timing when I'm describing it, the actual timing tends to feel pretty good.

Referenced in:

Comment via: google plus, facebook, substack

Recent posts on blogs I like:

On Apologizing To Kids

Everyone is so weird about apologizing to children.

via Thing of Things August 25, 2025

Against the Teapot Hold in Contra Dancing

The teapot hold is the most dangerous common contra dancing figure, so I’ve been avoiding it. The teapot hold, sometimes called a "courtesy turn hold,” requires one dancer to connect with their hand behind their back. When I realized I could avoid put…

via Emma Azelborn August 25, 2025

Little Puppy

She's very little and she likes to do stuff with me. She also likes to bark around and run around and jump around. She also likes to go to places with me and that's all I have.

via Nora Wise's Blog Posts August 23, 2025

more     (via openring)