16. SQUARE DANCES

The Square Dance starts with the couples all joining hands in a large circle facing the center. Each boy has his girl partner on his right side, thus his right hand is holding her left hand.

The couples are counted and each couple is given a number. There must be an even number of couples on the floor. The important thing for each couple to remem­ber is whether their number is odd or even. One member of the group is elected the "caller." His job is to call out the figures, giving directions to the entire group.

The music, which is in fast tempo and resembles a march, starts to play and the caller yells, "Circle—Left!" The entire circle moves to the left while holding hands. The call is usually followed by: "Half-way back to the right!" The circle starts back in the other direction.

When the caller says, "Odd Couples on your go!" (actual words used in the calling differs in different communities), all of the couples having odd numbers move to the right and join hands with the couples having even numbers, who remain in place. Thus Couple 1 moves to Couple 2 and joins hands with them. Couple 3 goes to Couple 4, and so on around the room. This movement breaks the large circle, and in its place we now have a group of small circles or "squares." Each square is made up of two couples. In this small circle, the girl must always be on the right side of her partner. We now have a girl on each side of each boy, and a boy on each side of a girl. The girl on the boy's left is referred to as his "opposite" lady.

These individual squares of two couples go through several figures, the most common of which are:

RIGHT HAND ACROSS

The boy reaches across to the boy opposite him and they join hands. The girl reaches across to the girl opposite her, and they join right hands. This makes four hands crossed in the center—the boys' hands always should cross over the top of the girls' hands. While holding hands in this manner, turn right shoulder toward the center, then march forward and this will turn the little square to the right. Then when the caller says, "Left hand back!" the dancers switch hands—that is, the boys join left hands and the girls join left hands, and as their left shoulder moves toward the center of the square, it reverses their direction, and the square moves around to the left.

SWING YOUR OPPOSITE LADY

The couples stop whatever figure they are in and the boy immediately goes to the girl in the square who is not his partner. He places his right arm around her waist and holds her right hand in his left and swings her around and around to the right. This position, used either in swinging your partner, or your opposite lady, is like the parallel position used in Ballroom Dancing. The girl should be to the right of the boy and facing in an opposite direction. In this manner, they turn to the right as each partner walks forward. Actually the boy's left foot takes a longer step than his right foot which is doing primarily an In place step.

EIGHT HANDS ACROSS

The boys join both hands while facing each other. The girls do likewise. Then when the caller says, "Ladies, bow!" the girls bow toward each other, and, as they lift their heads, they come up on the inside of the boys' arms. This places the boys' arms around the girls' bodies. The girls are still holding hands in the center. The boys' arms are around the girls' waists, but they are still holding hands. The caller then says, "Gents show how!" The boys bow toward the center and lift their heads up under the girls' arms. When the boys straighten up from the bow, it makes the girls' arms encircle the boys' waists. Now the boys' arms encircle the girls' waists and the girls' arms encircle the boys' waists. The boys are still holding hands with each other, arid the girls are still holding hands with each other. In this very tight circle, everyone moves to the left until the caller breaks up the movement. From this position the caller usually says, "Swing your opposite lady!" and thus everyone releases hands, and each boy swings his opposite lady which is the girl on his left. (Remember, the boy always keeps his own partner on his right side. Thus the opposite lady is on his left.)

BIRD IN A CAGE

The girl of the couple having the odd number steps in the center of the small square while the remaining three dancers join hands around her. While in the center of the circle she usually does a lively solo dance or taps her feet in time to the music while the three encircling her march to the left. Then when the caller says, "Canary steps out and crow steps in!" the girl steps out of the circle and her partner, who is the "crow" steps into the center of the circle and does a little solo dance while the others march to the left around him. This usually continues until every member of the little square has had a chance to be in the center of the ring. It is always the odd girl, however, who goes into the center of the circle first.

GARDEN GATE

For this figure the caller usually says, "Open up that Garden Gate!" The couples making up each square must be holding hands in the form of a circle when the call is made. Then, while still holding hands, the odd couple bends over and marches under the arms of the even couple. The even couple boy lifts his right arm and this automatically lifts the left arm of his partner. Then, when the odd couple has marched under the uplifted arms, their arms are lowered just as the caller says, "Close the Garden Gate!" Then the caller calls for the garden gate to be opened again, and the odd couple, while bending over in a crouched position, moves backward to their original position in the circle. This movement is then followed by the even couple bending over and marching under the uplifted arms of the odd couple, and the rest of the movement is repeated.

OCEAN WAVE

The odd boy releases his left hand hold of the opposite girl, and while crouched over marches under the right arm of the even boy. The odd boy is still holding his partner's hand and. she is following him. The even couple is still holding hands. As soon as the odd boy gets under the even boy's arm, he makes an abrupt turn to the right while leading his partner by the hand. The odd boy then marches around to the right to resume his original position. This causes the even boy to have to turn in place, and the even girl also has to turn in place. Then the odd boy joins hands with the even girl again, and the even boy releases his left hand hold on the opposite girl and goes under the uplifted arm of the odd boy, turning right and following the rest of the movement described above, until the square has returned to its original position.

Each caller has his own favorite figures, and though the figures will vary in different communities, the fundamental principles of the calls are practically the same everywhere. Always the odd couple moves to the next even couple, when the caller says, "Odd couples on your go!" Thus when Couple 1 has finished doing a series of figures with Couple 2, Couple 1 then marches in a counterclockwise direc­tion to the next even couple, which is Couple 4. Couple 3, in the meantime, which has just been dancing with Couple 4, march around to the next even couple which is Couple 6. This continues until the couples are back to their starting point, and every odd couple has danced with every even couple on the floor.

In addition to the figures that are performed in individual squares there are many figures performed in the large circle. Those most commonly used are The Promenade (illustrated and explained on a following page), London Bridge, and the Grand Chain, which is also called Rights and Lefts. These figures are not difficult if you remember that the girl partner is always on the right side of the boy partner.

In fact, it is practically impossible not to do the figures correctly when everyone else is doing them correctly. The Rights and Lefts, or Grand Chain, is sometimes confusing to the beginner, so if you study the diagrams on the following pages you should have no trouble with this. An important rule to keep in mind when doing the grand chain is that the boys all travel in one direction which is usually counter­clockwise, while the girls travel in the other direction—clockwise.

THE SQUARE DANCE

NOTE: IN ALL OF THE SQUARE DANCE DIAGRAMS THE DARK CIRCLE IS USED TO INDICATE THE BOY AND THE WHITE CIR­CLE—THE GIRL.

The Square Dance starts in a circle. There should be an even number of couples, each boy has his girl on his right side.

The caller gives each couple a number, usually starting with himself as number one.

When the music starts the circle moves counterclockwise while everyone is holding hands facing the inside of the circle.

From the circle, usually the next move is for the odd couples to move counterclock­wise to the next even couples and make individual squares of four each (two couples).

SQUARE DANCE

(Odd and Even Couples Make Individual Squares Around the Room)

No. 1—Every Odd Couple moves counterclockwise to the next Even Couple.

No. 2—The first movement is for the couples to hold hands and start circling to the left.  (The circle may go to the right first—depending on the caller.)

No. 3—Follow through the various figures designated by the caller until the caller tells you to move to the next couple.

No. 4—Odd Couples move counterclockwise to the next Even Couple, and do what­ever figures are designated by the caller.

SQUARE DANCE

THE PROMENADE

From the grand circle in which everyone is marching around the room holding hands, the caller says, "Swing your partner and promenade." At this, each boy swings his partner who is at his right side and starts marching with her in a direction counter­clockwise around the room. While marching, the boy has his right arm around his partner's waist, and his left hand is holding her left hand. The boy is on the inside of the circle, and the girl is on the outside of the circle. They are both facing in the same direction. They march like this until the caller says, "Gents drop back to the lady behind"—at this the boy releases his partner and marks time to the music without traveling, the girls continue to march forward to the next boy, thus the boy in Couple No. 1 remains in place until the girl in Couple No. 8 marches up to his right side and begins to promenade with him. This continues with a change of partners each time the caller says, "Gents drop back to the lady behind" until all couples are back to their original partners.

This figure, as well as being a part of the square dance, is an excellent method the host or hostess may use in having the guests change partners frequently in a ballroom dance. For example: while the music is playing march time, each boy starts the promenade with the girl of his choice. Then the boys continue to drop back to the girl behind until the music stops. When the music stops whichever girl the boy is with, he must dance the following dance with her. The music then imme­diately starts again playing a different tempo—a Tango, for instance. Everyone dances the Tango until the music stops. Then when the music changes to a march, the couples get in position for the promenade. This is most interesting when the music constantly changes. For example, the musicians should always play a march when the couples are doing the promenade. At each break, when everyone has a different partner, the music changes to a different type of dance, covering the entire field—Waltz, Tango, Jitterbug, etc.

SQUARE DANCE

GRAND CHAIN—or RIGHTS AND LEFTS

While marching in a circle with everyone holding hands, the caller says, "Grand Chain" or he may say, "Give your partner your right hand for rights and lefts around the room." At this, everyone releases hands, and each boy and girl must turn to face partner. Each boy turns to his right, and each girl turns to her left. Then partners join right hands. The boys are now facing in a counterclockwise direction, while the girls are facing in a clockwise direction.

The first position, as shown in diagram below, is actually the most important part of the entire figure, because if you start correctly, the entire figure will be executed smoothly. However, if anyone turns the wrong direction, or gives the wrong hand, it will throw the entire movement out of synchronization. It takes only a second or two to get from the grand circle where everyone is holding hands to the position designated below in which everyone is facing his partner and holding partner's right hand.

SQUARE DANCE

GRAND CHAIN—or RIGHTS AND LEFTS  (Continued)

While holding your partner's right hand you now march in the direction you are facing. The boy passes his partner on the right, and lifts his left hand toward the girl who is coming toward him with her left hand outstretched. While the partners are passing each other the boy is on the inside of the circle, while the girl is on the outside of the circle going in the opposite direction. NOW—right here at this point, it is very important that every boy and every girl hold partner's right hand until they have joined left hands with the next one coming toward them.

The next one coming toward every boy is a girl and the next one coming toward every girl is a boy, for the boys are all marching in one direction, while the girls are marching in the opposite direction.

SQUARE DANCE

GRAND .CHAIN—or Rights AND LEFTS (Continued)

Now, the boy, while still holding his partner's right hand joins his left hand with the girl coming toward him. This causes him to face in a direction outside of the circle, while the girls face in a direction inside the circle. For a fraction of a second, everyone is holding hands with everyone else that is every boy is still holding his partner's right hand in his right hand. (He is in the process of leaving his partner.) His left hand is holding the left hand of the girl coming towards him.

It is very important for the boy to continue to hold his partner's right hand while he is taking the new girl's left hand, because by observing this simple rule, no one will advance faster than the others, thus the entire movement will work with clock-like precision, and no one can possibly get mixed up as to which hand to use next. Next, everyone releases right hands.

SQUARE DANCE

GRAND CHAIN or RIGHTS AND LEFTS (Continued)

After releasing right hands, every boy passes his new partner on the left side while holding her left hand. During this pass, the boy is on the outside of the circle, while the girl is on the inside. Just as he is passing her, he lifts his right hand toward the girl coming his way who in turn has her right hand outstretched toward him. Then, when he joins his right hand with his new girl, he is facing the inside of the circle, while the girls are facing the outside of the circle. For a fraction of a second, he is holding both girls' hands. He is then ready to release his left hand, as he passes his new girl on the right side, while holding her right hand.

SQUARE DANCE

Finale

This figure is frequently used as the last figure, or Finale, in the Square Dance. It resembles a drill.

No. 1—The lead couple, which is usually Couple No. 1, while doing the Promenade suddenly breaks from the circle formation and marches straight down the middle of the room. The other couples follow him as shown in diagram below. When this first couple gets to the end of the room, the boy turns abruptly to the left while his girl partner turns abruptly to the right. This is usually designated by the caller saying, "Gents turn left, ladies turn right." The boys then march around single file and the girls march around single file on the other side of the room. The couples come back together and join partners at the opposite end of the room from where they separated. They march down through the middle in couples again, and when they get to the end of the room the caller reverses the procedure by saying, "Ladies turn left and gents turn right." Thus the girl crosses in front and follows the same track the boys made on the first go-around.

SQUARE DANCE
Finale   (Continued)

No. 2—After Figure No. 1 of the Finale is repeated a time or two, depending on the desires of the caller, the dancers discontinue marching single file and break at the end of the line and march around in couples, thus the caller will say, "First couple turn right, second couple turn left." Every odd couple will turn to the right, and the even couples turn to the left. They then march around the edge of the room, odd couples on one side, even couples on the other side, and when they get to the end of the room, they lock arms and come down four abreast: that is, couple No. 1 and couple No. 2 join by locking arms around waists, and couples No. 3 and No. 4 join likewise. They march down through the center of the room and when they come to the end of the room, the caller says, "First four turn left—second four turn right." The first four turn as a unit around to the left. The second four turn to the right, etc. On the next go-around, the first four which have been traveling in one direction and the second four which have been traveling in another direction join and come down eight abreast. The two lines of eight march down through the center—one going in one direction and the other in the other direction. They join at the other end of the room and come down sixteen abreast. If there are eight couples dancing the figure is completed. This figure works best when there are multiples of eight couples dancing.

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