It helps somewhat. Am I right in believing that in your opinion endurance is the main thing that beginners should focus on? Followed by metronome like reliability, and then speed? How I run the practices and what we work on will depend on the priority of those three items.

How much of a rest does the 20 minute break give (in a 7:30-11:00 dance)? Is it enough to get rested and re-charged, or only work the stiffness out of your hands and go take a leak?

Am I correct in believing that jigs are easier for beginners than reels? (3 notes per beat as opposed to 4) Do you have any suggestions on songs for youngsters to start on (my fiddler is 12, whistle player is 15). I've got them doing "Late for the Dance" and "Liza Jane" but their both asking for more already.

I've contradanced for years, but have always kept my full attention on my partner(s), and never noticed how long an individual dance lasts, nor how many are done in a night. The dance here is only monthly, and we rarely get over 10 fours in a line on a regular night, thus keeping the dances short.