DEFINITION: Each half of the line or wave works as a unit and moves forward around a pivot point three quarters. If the adjoining dancers are facing the same direction, the end dancer becomes the pivot while the other dancer moves in a semicircle around the pivot. If the adjoining dancers are facing in opposite directions, the pivot point is the handhold between them and they move equally around the pivot point.
STARTING FORMATION: Any wave or line.
TIMING: 6 steps.
STYLE: If joined dancers are in opposite facing directions, the handhold should be hands-up position as in swing thru. If joined dancers are in the same facing direction, handholds are as in couples handhold position.
DEFINITION: The outside dancers step apart as the center dancers step forward and between them to form a line.
STARTING FORMATION: Whenever there is a couple with their backs to the center of the set facing or standing behind another couple.
TIMING: 2 steps.
STYLE: The active couple should use couple handhold and, if stepping in between couples facing the same direction, join hands in a line of four. If the active couple steps in between a couple facing in the opposite direction, use hands-up position with the end dancers.
DEFINITION: The lead dancers separate and move away from each other in a three quarter circle. When each lead dancer meets another lead dancer from the other side of the square, they become partners and step forward to the center of the square. Each trailing dancer follows the dancer in front of him and ends directly behind that same dancer. A single couple facing out does the lead dancer's part as described, but they may not step all the way into the center at the end of the call.
STARTING FORMATION: Completed double pass thru position or a single couple(s) on the outside of the square facing out.
TIMING: 6-8 beats from a completed double pass thru. I called for only four people, the timing is 6 beats.
STYLE: Arms are held in natural dance position, skirt work optional. It is important to move slightly forward before turning away. When lead dancers meet and become partners, use couple handhold. Trailing dancers should follow footsteps of the lead dancers and not cut the corners.
DEFINITION: A hinge is half of a trade. Any two adjacent couples or dancers who can trade can also hinge. Working as a unit, each couple does half of a couples trade to end in a two-faced line at right angles to the original.
STARTING FORMATION: Line or 2-Faced lines.
TIMING: 3 steps.
STYLE: Couples use couple handhold and styling similar to wheel and deal.
DEFINITION: The directed (active) dancers who must either both be centers or both ends, fold toward the farthest inactive dancer by walking in a semicircle to end facing toward that same dancer. When the active dancers are both facing in the same direction, they move forward in a semicircle, pass each other and fold toward the inactive dancer.
STARTING FORMATION: Line, two-faced line, or wave.
TIMING: 4 steps.
STYLE: Hands position depends on starting formation, i.e. hands up from a wave, couple handhold from a line or circulate. Using appropriate hand position, the inactive dancer should exert slight pressure to adjacent dancer and assist in initiating folding action.
DEFINITION: From facing couples, the right hand dancer steps forward and to the left to become the lead dancer in a tandem. Lead dancers join right hands and pull by. Moving to the other trailing dancer, each extends a left hand and touches to a left hand mini wave and turns one quarter. New center dancers join right hands and form a left hand ocean wave.
STARTING FORMATION: Facing couples or facing tandems.
TIMING: Static square, heads or sides to a wave, 6; all 4 couples to a wave, 8.
STYLE: Lead dancers initially pulling by in the center should use handshake hold as in right and left grand. When forming mini waves with trailing dancers, dancers must adjust to the right, using hands-up position and same styling as in swing thru.
DEFINITION: Facing dancers join right hands and pull by (this completes an eight chain 1). The center facing dancers join left hands and pull by while the outside dancers do a courtesy turn (this completes an eight chain 2). Repeat these actions in sequence to achieve eight chain three, eight chain four, etc. Eight chain thru is the same as eight chain eight. Even numbers (2,4,6,8) end in an eight chain thru formation. Odd numbers (1,3,5,7) end in a trade by formation.
STARTING FORMATION: Eight chain thru.
TIMING: Box, 8 hands, 20 steps; 4 hands, 10 steps.
STYLE: Use same styling as in courtesy turn and right and left grand. Emphasis should be placed on the courtesy turn in that portion of the basic so that dancers can maintain an eight chain thru formation and not be allowed to drift into a right and left grand type of movement.
DEFINITION: The centers of the line or wave turn three quarters while the outside dancers move forward in a quarter circle. The ending formation is at right angles to the starting formation. Centers remain centers and ends remain ends.
STARTING FORMATION: Ocean wave or two-faced line.
TIMING: 4 steps.
STYLE: Center dancers use hands-up position and styling similar to that of swing thru. End dancers' arms are in natural dance position and hands are ready to assume appropriate position for the next call.
DEFINITION: General Rule: Directed dancers step forward and move in a small semi-circle to end facing toward an adjacent dancer or position. The adjacent inactive dancer may be facing in any direction and does not move. If not specified, centers fold toward ends and vice versa. Directed active dancers fold toward the inactive dancers using the general rule.
STARTING FORMATION: Any two dancer formation in which the directed dancer has a shoulder directly adjacent to the other dancer.
TIMING: 2 steps.
STYLE: Hands position depends on starting formation, i.e. hands up from a wave, couple handhold from a line or circulate. Using appropriate hand position, the inactive dancer should exert slight pressure to adjacent dancer and assist in initiating folding action.
DEFINITION: Like tag the line, except the dancers stop walking forward when the original centers from each side of the line meets the original ends from the other side. If started from a four person line, the ending is a right hand box circulate formation; from longer lines the ending is a right hand column formation.
STARTING FORMATION: Any line with an even number of dancers.
TIMING: Facing lines with pass thru, tag the line full, 8 steps; three quarters, 7; one half, 6; one quarter, 5 steps. Two-faced line tag the line full, 6 steps; three quarters, 5; one half, 4; one quarter, 3.
STYLE: Arms in natural dance position, hands ready to assume appropriate position for the next call. A flowing type of movement can be achieved by taking a slight step forward before turning toward the center of the line, thus avoiding the abrupt military type pivot.
DEFINITION: All pass thru. The dancers now on the outside partner trade. Ends in double pass thru formation.
STARTING FORMATION: Eight Chain Thru or Parallel Ocean Waves.
TIMING: Box, couples facing in, 2 steps; couples facing out, 6 steps.
STYLE: Same as pass thru and partner trade.
DEFINITION: Like tag the line, except the dancers stop walking forward when the original centers from each side of the line meet.
STARTING FORMATION: Any line with an even number of dancers.
TIMING: Facing lines with pass thru, tag the line full, 8 steps; three quarters, 7; one half, 6; one quarter, 5 steps. Two-faced line tag the line full, 6 steps; three quarters, 5; one half, 4; one quarter, 3.
STYLE: Arms in natural dance position, hands ready to assume appropriate position for the next call. A flowing type of movement can be achieved by taking a slight step forward before turning toward the center of the line, thus avoiding the abrupt military type pivot.
DEFINITION: The ends of the wave cross fold as the centers of the wave fold in behind the ends and follow them around, then face in to end as two facing couples.
STARTING FORMATION: Ocean Waves only.
TIMING: 4 steps.
STYLE: All dancers, arms in natural dance position, hands ready to adjust for next call as quickly as possible.
DEFINITION: From box circulate dancers facing in step straight forward to join adjacent forearms, turn half and step forward to end in the position vacated by the dancer who was facing out. Meanwhile, each dancer facing out runs into the position vacated by the dancer who is doing the forearm turn. When done from right hand boxes, the dancers facing in turn by the right and the dancers facing out run right. When done from left hand boxes, the dancers facing in turn by the left and the facing out run left. From quarter tag, dancers step ahead, join forearms (right if center wave was right handed or left if center wave was left handed) turn half and step straight forward. Those returning to the center step to a wave (using same hands as original wave); the others finish as a couple facing out. Ending formation is a 3/4 tag.
STARTING FORMATION: Box Circulate or Quarter Tag.
TIMING: 6 steps.
STYLE: Similar to that of turn thru and fold.
DEFINITION: A hinge is half of a trade. Any two adjacent couples or dancers who can trade can also hinge. Dancers do half of a trade with each other to end in a mini wave at right angles to the original mini wave. (same result as Cast 1/4).
STARTING FORMATION: Mini wave
TIMING: 2 steps.
STYLE: Dancers use hands up position.
DEFINITION: Dancers pass thru. A man always turns right one quarter; a lady always turns left one quarter. Dancers end side by side with each other. My comment: One of the few calls where you never lose your sex identity.
STARTING FORMATION: Facing dancers.
TIMING: Static square, heads or sides, 6; Box, 4 steps.
STYLE: Arms in natural dance position with skirt work optional for ladies. Hands should be rejoined in the appropriate position for the next call.
DEFINITION: Each end and the adjacent center dancer turn one half. The new centers of each ocean wave turn three quarters to make a new ocean wave across the set. The two centers of this wave turn one half to reform the wave across the set. The two outside pairs of dancers of the center wave now turn three quarters to join the waiting ends and form parallel ocean waves.
STARTING FORMATION: Parallel Ocean Waves
TIMING: Box, 16 steps.
STYLE: Hands up as in swing thru. It is important that the waiting ends remain in static position with hands ready to assume appropriate position for the next call.
DEFINITION: Each end and the adjacent center dancer turn one half. The new center dancers turn three quarters while each outside dancer moves forward in a quarter circle to meet the same center dancer with whom he started. Ends in an ocean wave which is at right angles to the original starting wave.
STARTING FORMATION: Ocean Wave
TIMING: 8 steps from point of contact.
STYLE: Use same styling as in swing thru. Dancers who become new ends should have arms in natural dance position and hands ready to assume appropriate position for the next call.
DEFINITION: Each dancer turns to face the center of the line. Taking a short side step to the left, each dancer walks forward passing right shoulders with oncoming dancers until he has walked past all of the dancers from the other half of the line. The call may be followed by any one of the directions in, out, right or left. When this happens, dancers turn in place one quarter in the direction indicated.
STARTING FORMATION: Any line with an even number of dancers.
TIMING: Facing lines with pass thru, tag the line full, 8 steps; three quarters, 7; one half, 6; one quarter, 5 steps. Two-faced line tag the line full, 6 steps; three quarters, 5; one half, 4; one quarter, 3.
STYLE: Arms in natural dance position, hands ready to assume appropriate position for the next call. A flowing type of movement can be achieved by taking a slight step forward before turning toward the center of the line, thus avoiding the abrupt military type pivot.
DEFINITION: Each dancer steps forward to join right forearms with the other dancer. They turn by the right one half, release armholds and step forward, ending back to back with each other.
STARTING FORMATION: Facing dancers.
TIMING: 4 steps from point of contact.
STYLE: Use normal forearm position. Men's free hand in natural dance position. Ladies' skirt work desirable for free hand.
DEFINITION: From box circulate formation, each dancer facing into the box walks forward to take the place of the dancer who was directly in front of him. Meanwhile, each dancer facing out of the box steps sideways (dodges) into the position vacated by the "walker" who was formerly beside him. Dancers end side by side, both facing out. If walk and dodge is called from facing couples, the caller must designate who is to walk and who is to dodge (e.g., "men walk, ladies dodge"). Ending is a box circulate formation.
STARTING FORMATION: Box circulate or facing couples.
TIMING: 4 steps.
STYLE: Arms in natural dance position. Skirt work for the ladies is optional. Hands should be ready to assume appropriate position for the next call.
Last Updated: November 20, 1997
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