Yikes. I thought English Country Dance terms were quite numerous here in the US. Contra is much simpler, yet I know in Square Dance Clubs they have all sorts of fancy terms for combination of moves, but I swear that's because they don't want outsiders to dance with 'em.

The times I've learned set dances, (in Chicago at the cultural center & Augusta Heritage Irish Week, Cleveland East IAC, all back in the 80s) I found the terms close to contra/square/English Country dance I was familiar with & had no problem following them. Flummoxed the man teaching us High Caul Cap who said "how do you know this dance so well, when you've never done it before?" when I got to the right place every time. Adding footwork took more attention than attending to where to go/ who do go with. "House around" was the only completely new term then.

In decades of dancing to callers, and watching callers as part of the band, a good caller tailors their calling to the crowd & it's a very different thing with novices than an experienced crowd. Having a mix, you've got the advantage of having dancers to demonstrate a particular move. Also, having your dances ordered so that you build on each one; teaching ONE new or complicated thing each dance, not trying to add several at once makes it easier to get to the complex.

Fascinating to hear how Mr Red thinks about naming moves. (No clue what half of what he mentions are.) I think of what we call "meanwhile" moves, where you can't possibly call EVERYthing when different couples are doing different interlocking moves. Finding a term that works for this, and sticking to it in other dances that call for the same set of moves helps the dancers. Being aware of regional variations in nomenclature is great for a caller who travels, and checking to see if you have such a conflict is a benefit to them. You sound a thoughtful caller, and if you've got your own idiosyncratic move names, eventually it could be what you're known for! (hey, I've known it to happen!)

merry dancing to ya.
Joanne in Cleveland, now sadly only able to be part of the band.