Hi, everyone,

This happens more often than you'd think.  My solutions are thus:

First, I do not like demanding new couples split up right away.  I know that technically that would be effective to help people out.  But ostensibly, these people came to the dance to dance with the people they came with.  Thus instead of making it a demand, I say I "highly suggest" that people dance with experienced dancers.  But I really want them to have them have the ability to choose their own partners.  Thus, I allow them to dance with each other if they would prefer.  You *may* want to split up hands four, though, since a couple will not be able to dance with the other couple that's their friends right away.  And arrange them so they are not spit out right away after 1 or 2 turns.  

A more in-depth walk through for the first dance is warranted.  Have a dance with a neighbor swing before a partner swing, so they can get an experienced dancer guiding them.  If you do have a chain, have people chain to their neighbor for that guidance as well.  

And quite honestly, allow them to sink or swim after that.  It'll never be perfect no matter how hard you try, and they aren't going to "get it" right away.   Allow them to move, bop, have swings that are not smooth.  In fact, please advise the experienced dancers to show them how it's done, but ask them not to spend oodles of time trying to perfect the swing in the middle of a walk through.  That takes forever and makes the swing look way more difficult as move than it ought to be, and it delays the whole dance unnecessarily.  

Above all, instill confidence in the new dancers that this is fun, you can do it, and as long as you're having fun you're OK.  Anything to make the dancers feel that they need extra help has the potential for them to think that they don't belong there or aren't good enough to dance with the experienced crowd.  

Truthfully, I recall the days where many callers have suggested that "lessons make people believe the dance is hard" and believed that dancing should be so easy that anyone can walk in and dance and no lesson is needed.  We as a dance community have made dancing a little more difficult than that (and truthfully, it's not all *that* easy for a lot of people who have never done this before to figure out), so allow some grace and allow for mistakes.  Like, I think it took me a good 6 months of contra dancing before I really "got it" when I was starting.  

Perry Shafran