I agree totally with Dr. Tom (an old friend) I have been calling for over 40 years (and for over 200 different bands!) I obviously inhabit a VERY different dance world to Leeneia! NONE of the bands I work with play from the dots..they have learned the tunes!..They may have favourite sets for certain dances as they have found that a particular set of tunes fits the dance really well, otherwise, I just ask for e,g '32 bar polkas, ten times through please' and any decent band will have plenty in their repertoire to chose from.. OK some bands may have lots of hornpipes they like to use, others lots of good jigs....so I always try to choose dances which allow them to show off their good stuff!...I am also a musician which helps!