7:30 - 8:30 Dance Instruction
Dance instruction usually starts around 7:30, it may be a little later depending on when people arrive and if it is a couple dance. Often two dances are taught, and usually an easy one is taught first as a warm-up. The same dances are usually taught 2 weeks in a row to help with learning it and remembering it. Dances are categorized as either line or partner dances. If it is a partner dance, don't worry, you don't have to bring your own partner. Most people dance with whoever is available. Sometimes we have more guys, sometimes more gals. If you choose to learn the steps of the other gender, no problem. Formal instruction ends at 8:30 but the dances taught will be quickly reviewed at 9:40 (after announcements) that night and then danced. On the second week of teaching it may not be reviewed – it's up to the teacher's discretion. Our teachers are usually regular dancers from our group but sometime we have a guest instructor. The dances taught are either new ones learned by our members at workshops or elsewhere, or dances in our repertoire that have been requested to be re-taught (if it hasn't been taught recently and not many people know it).  To request a particular dance to be taught, just talk to the current teaching chair or a board member.

8:30 Open Dancing
After teaching, at 8:30 the evening goes to open dancing. The dances are put on by the evening's programmer and are taken from the request list and programmer's preferences. Our programmers are volunteers from our dance group as well and their programming styles vary as much as they do. Generally, there is a mix of dances from around the world: easy to advanced, couple, line, and other groupings. Much of our repertoire is from Eastern and Western Europe and the Mediterranean, but we have dances from every continent. The music is played from tape cards, but on special occasions, live musicians come to play for us.

You are welcome to request any dance on our dance repertoire list. Copies of the list are at the tape table, and are available from the home page. Most requests will be played but there are no guarantees.

At 9:30, we have announcements. We try to keep them brief and related to dance.

Following announcements we review the dances taught that evening, dance them, and then return to open dancing until 11 pm. The last dance is generally an easy line dance that everyone is encouraged to dance.