Ah yes, GUEST Smokey. Obviously you're of the "dancing as a martial art" school.

Of course if you're the star performer, I have a hard time seeing why you're playing at a dance. You might as well be on the radio, and then you could call yourself a bluegrasser. (JiKansas)

Maybe we have different approaches to dance accompaniment John, but I don't think there's any need for insult. I've always understood that the music led the dancing, not the other way around. If what you say is correct, how do you account for all the old dance-band leaders who faced away from the dance floor to conduct? They weren't watching the dancers' feet, that's for sure, and I suspect the musicians weren't either. Certainly, playing for performance/exhibition dancing can require a certain elasticity, but for social dancing I would always advocate keeping the rhythm as solid and reliable as possible. It's always worked for me; they dance, they clap, they pay, and they keep booking. There are no stars, it's just a dance. I play dances for the money, since you were wondering. I've done it for about thirty years and no-one's rumbled me yet.