I don't mind when I'm playing an event where there's not much dancing at the beginning, but then there's a packed floor by the end of the night. But it's so annoying when it's the other way around. I had this happen recently. The dance started out alright and was going pretty good until about the last hour, then everybody just stopped dancing...just sat around, drank and chatted with each other. Is it just me or does it bug you when your gigs end on a "dud" note?

As a perfectionist, I always take it personally when people aren�t dancing. It always makes me think what am I doing wrong? I also understand that many times people just get tired, or too drunk to dance. That if fine as well, but it does bother me, because inside it feels like I am not doing my job as well as I could. There are other times when people pack the floor all night (well that�s wonderful). There are others when barely anyone dances (I take these personally). But as long as the B&G or party host says at the end of the night �You did a great job.� I am satisfied. (But they have to be sincere).

DJ Stevie Ray, I totally agree. A perfectionist myself, I take this the same way.

Yes happened to me many times. Knowing your crowd skills plays a lot in this situation. If the majority of the crowd are in their 30-50+ year age bracket, you can expect them to get tired. In that situation you should be pacing the music styles you play.

If the age group are all younger they have a lot more energy and tend to stay up longer if not the whole night.

Also numbers and dancefloor size has a lot to do with it as well. If the dancefloor is small but the room is stacked with more people than the dance floor can handle, no matter what age chances are they'll stay up longer mainly because they're having trouble finding real estate on the dance floor and wait their turn. The opposite is true if the room is huge but not many people to fill it.

ROQ out.

Other than not getting them up at all, losing the crowd is the worse.

One trick I have learned is to save the best for last. Usually that last hour is when I pull out all of the stops. Hit em' hard and hit em' long. I hit them with a really strong slow jam then I open up a can of interactive whoop-ass; Shout, Conga, YMCA, Disco Medley, Twist and Shout, etc. I shoot for 30 minutes with no slow down. Then for the slow song I play ***ual Healing or something like that.

If that doesn't work I do some sort of a game or contest.

And if that doesn't work you aren't at a paryt you are at a morgue.

I'm curious as to how many people were at the party.

Usually (as I'm sure happens to all of us) when the crowd is MOSTLY guys...and mostly guys that are 30+ years old, it's going to be a tough night. You know how it goes; it looks cooler to sit around, chat and drink, than to get out on the dance floor . Then they usually approach you with non-danceable requests.

I've played to huge crowds that were mostly guys and could hardly get anyone to dance, even to dance to the YMCA. I've had wedding parties and holiday parties that had 300-500 in attendence and practically had an empty floor the whole night, those are frustrating.

Generally I've found that if half or more of the crowd are women, it's much easier.

I played to a huge wedding crowd recently that danced pretty good at the beginning of the dance, but towards the last hour everyone just stopped dancing. But at the same time, the dance really didn't get underway until about 10 p.m. and I think most everyone was too tired (and maybe a little to drunk) to dance. Then the next night I had a much earlier dance that started around 7 p.m. and the floor was never empty--they were a great bunch of people to play for.

I was just going to ask that, kevin_f.

Is it smart to save "the best" for after dinner?

Back to the original topic: Yes, it's kind of a let down when almost every one is not out there dancing to almost every song. But, as long as the person running it says, "You did a good job, thanks!" and you get some people to dance, it's ok.
And, it does depend on the crowd. Once you hit that over 30 crowd (for the most part), they just want to sit around, drink, and talk to their family/friends. You have to remember that for some people, this is the only time they get to see family/friends and hang out with them.

Not me though. I don't give a rat's behind about Aunt Tillie's swollen gallbladder. Let me out there to dance!

Sure it is.

I'm not saying have a boring party up until then.

If your arguement is the old swimmer's warning, you're afraid they will cramp up, and die then you must be doing different parties than me. At the events I perform at, especially the ones with a sit down dinner there is usually 15 minutes per course, with three courses, and the portions are not backyard BBQ size. We generally have some couples dancing between courses even.

However, if you have a party with heavy hors' douvres or food stations, then the tone needs to change, but the people are most likely going eat as they arrive in that situation too.

Without going into an extremely long thread, about how every party is structured, the bottom line is that every party is unique, and should be treated as unique. You just need to have enough tricks in the bag to have your guests leave smiling. If a performers goal is not that then they should do us all a favor and find a different line of work.

I do agree that sometimes no matter what tricks you have the crowd has just made a decision to talk and drink and that is fine. And sometimes to try to force the party will be viewed as an invasion. Once again every party is different.

"I do agree that sometimes no matter what tricks you have the crowd has just made a decision to talk and drink and that is fine. And sometimes to try to force the party will be viewed as an invasion. Once again every party is different. "

Amen, amen! This is a hard call to make, though. Sort of like deciding to stop doing CPR on an unresponsive patient.

But I have had a lot of happy clients that thanked me for having the insight to know that the dancing was over, (or maybe never started) and that friends and family just want to talk.

A good idea is too try to do an irresistible set of slow songs to get some folks on the floor, then hit them with something mid-tempo but FUN - If it sticks, you can try to slowly build again.

Otherwise, reset and let them go talk and try some more slow songs in 20 minutes or so.

my .02

Ron Grandia

I publish a playlist/setlist ahead of time and have a few of them around the bar(s). I also announce at the start of my events that there are dances like the chicken dance, etc at 45 past, that way people subliminally pace themselves cause as goofy as we think those things are, they love em! I have found these tricks to work great and keep the floor packed to the very end.

Another great move, invest in video gear with a fixed camera. People love to see themselves be stupid...You can then mix music and music videos and enter the awesome world of being a VJ, one step closer to an 'Entertainer'...lol

On one note, always convince a bride/groom to bail 1 hour before things shut down, that way you can play right out to the end without losing a lot of people.