I used to play in 'Five Bar'd Gait', an English ceilidh band that performed in the Manchester area up until a couple of years ago.

Some of our most successful performances consisted of a mix of dancing and singing: 4-5 dances followed by a song or three, a few more dances, etc.

This had the advantage of giving the caller and some of the band a breather, and allowing the audience to get their breath back. It also gave the evening more variety than at other ceilidhs.

The disadvantage IMHO was that after the audience had sat down for 15 minutes or so to listen to me warble on was that it was not too easy to get the buggers back onto the dance floor.

John