Dance Mixers

Advancing statues, social mixers and games (1920)

A mixer dance, dance mixer or simply mixer is a kind
of participation dance in a social dance setting that
involves changing partners as an integral part. Mixing can
be built into the dance choreography or can be structured
to occur more randomly. Mixers allow dancers to meet
new partners and allow beginners to dance with more
advanced dancers. Some people may take advantage of
mixers to assess dance skills of other persons without fear
of being stuck with a poor match for an entire dance.
Some mixer dances have traditional names.
The descriptions of "mixing procedures" vary, however
there are several common basic rules.

 The basic rule of dance etiquette "thou shalt

never say 'no'" is partially waived during
certain procedures of the mixer: if you have
already danced with the person, you may
smile to each other and skip the choice. The reasoning is that the basic purpose of the
mixer — to make people dance with many new partners — has the precedence.
 Sometimes a "lost and found" place is designated (e.g., the centre of the dance circle),
where unmatched dancers may find each other. Reasons for the occurrence of
"unmatched dancers" include the mixing process inherent in the particular dance,
gender imbalance, and dancer confusion.

General mixer
A couple dances straight across the dance hall until they reach the opposite end. They separate,
men and women each walking along opposite walls to the start end of the hall where they meet
their next partners. The randomness in partner matching arises from the different speed of travel
and often different numbers of men and women.

 A couple dances a full round around the room and exchanges partners with these at
the start point. Matching randomness is from the speed differences as well as from
some chaos introduced at the start point.
 Couples dance until the music stops, then all couples say goodbye to each other and
grab the next best partner who happens to be close by (Sometimes the slow ones have
to run across the room to meet a spare partner).
 Couples dance until the music stops. Then they separate and form two concentric
"segregated" circles of men and women. As "mixing music" starts (something
different from the dance danced), the circles walk in opposite directions until the
mixing music stops. New partners are those who happen to stand opposite each other
at this moment. If there is a disproportion between genders, the "unlucky" ones are
encouraged to go and grab someone sitting or standing along the walls.
  The same as above, only during the "mixing music" the dancers instead of walking do
some simple kind of round dance with frequent exchange of partners.
 A funny version of the above (observed during a folk Polka mixer in Lithuania):
After some dancing the caller calls: "Guys inside (the circle), gals outside. Gals
continue dancing, guys groom themselves." Then the caller calls "Guys, grab
yourselves a pair". Then he calls: "Now gals inside, guys outside." (A pause of
suspense...) "Gals continue dancing, guys groom themselves." (The joke is in the
broken expectation: since in the second call "guys are outside", it would be expected
for guys to dance and girls to groom themselves).

Named mixers

 Paul Jones is the name used for several mixer dances that were popular in the first
quarter of the 20th century but continue to be used in traditional dance settings to the
present day. One common variation is as follows. At the signal of the caller (who
may also be called by other names, such as "prompter", "cuer", or "Master of
Ceremonies"), all dancers join their hands to form a circle (or several concentric
ones, if crowded), with women being to the right of their partners. At the second
signal of the caller, the dancers repeatedly do the Grand Right and Left move, well
known in square dancing. As a result, the women move to the left (clockwise) along
the circle, while gentlemen move to the right. At the third signal, dancers dance with
the partner whose hand they are holding at the moment. This "third signal" is
traditionally the shouted words "Paul Jones", but a whistle or other device can be
substituted. This procedure may be repeated "as the master deems it advisable".[1]
 The Family Waltz is a dance mixer known in Scandinavian countries variously
as Familjevalsen, Familie Vals, Familievals, etc. It is danced to the music of waltz.
Basically, all dancers form a circle with hands joined, each gentleman does
the balance with the woman to his left (called his "corner"), then with the woman to
the right, then repeats the two balances then dances two tours of waltz (4 measures of
music) with his corner and at the end passes the corner to his right (so that each
gentleman now has a new corner). This may continue until the music ends or until a
signal (e.g., when the caller notices that women passed the complete circle).