Are callers considered to be good only by opinion, or are there statistical facts that separate them from others? There are several caller characteristics that can only be measured by opinion. Some of the characteristics include voice, personality, and style. The top callers usually rate very high in those categories by most dancers. What dancers don't realize is, the top callers also rate high in categories that statistics can measure. I set up an experiment to find out if callers can be ranked by statistics only. Is it possible to separate caller skill levels using statistics alone? Would those statistical results be the same as rankings done with opinion only? I set the experiment up by choosing three callers to study who, in my opinion, would be ranked by most dancers in the area the same way. I chose a caller who is considered one of the top callers in the area. Another caller chosen would be ranked in the middle, and the third caller would be ranked at the bottom by most dancers. I recorded all three callers for the purpose of compiling statistics about their calling.

The first statistical category is "Maximum Beats Per Minute". It is a measure of the fastest singing or patter calls the caller did during the evening. It is measured in beats per minute. It is a fact, good callers can and do call fast at various times. Calling fast does not make a good caller, but all good callers call fast at various times when it is appropriate. It is not just the speed that matters, but the contrast between their fast and slow calls. Having a wide variation in speed helps to create excitement when calling fast and smoothness and relaxation when calling slow. A good caller will range up to 136 beats per minute when calling fast. Other callers call no faster than 126 to 128 beats per minute at any time.

The second category is "Moves Per Minute". This is related to the first category but is different. Callers who call a lot of long combination calls (Load the Boat, Relay the Duecy, etc.) will have a lower "moves per minute" rating. If there is a lot of stopping between calls the "moves per minute" number will be lower. The top callers use less combination moves and call more series by definition. They also call "smooth" dancing with little "stop and go" dancing. This means more moves per minute will be called.

The third category is "Left Allemandes (followed by Right and Left Grand) per Minute". This statistic was used for patter calls only. Top callers rarely call Left Allemande and Right and Left Grand during the patter calls. It is a way to use up time and does not play an important role in patter calls.

The final category used was "Repeat Patterns Per Minute". A repeat is defined as the same combination of short moves used during the same set, or the same combination moves (Relay The Duecey, Tea Cup Chain, etc.) used over again during the same set. The top callers repeat patterns infrequently.

So, the answer to the question "can statistics be used to rate callers" is YES. But, that yes comes with a qualifier. Calling is a very complex activity. It involves a lot of traits and skills that are not controlled by statistics. A caller may not be a good caller just because he/she has good statistics. Some good callers don't have outstanding numbers. Their singing voice and style make up for it. But, it would appear that top callers do tend to have better statistics than other callers. The statistics are only of interest to callers who may want to improve and to dancers who wonder what the differences are between callers other than opinions.

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