Definitions 4

Mainstream Definitions – From Tech Squares Class MIT. Click a title to see a video

LOAD THE BOAT (plus): Typical starting formation – facing lines. Centers pass thru, face out, trade, and pass thru (4 parts). Ends walk forward around the outside passing 3 people (parts 1-3) and face in (part 4). Ends in an eight chain.

SPIN CHAIN THE GEARS (plus): Typical starting formation – waves.

  1. Arm turn 1/2.
  2. Centers arm turn 3/4 while ends U-turn back inward to make a star.
  3. Very centers arm turn 1/2.
  4. Each star of 4 dancers turns 3/4.
  5. Very centers arm turn 1/2.
  6. Centers arm turn 3/4 while the ends U-turn back outwards.

Ends in waves.

ALL 8 SPIN THE TOP (plus): Typical starting formation – dancers facing their partners. All dancers right arm turn 1/2 (stepping to a mini-wave if necessary), and the center 4 star 3/4 while the others move up in a 90° arc around the outside. Ends in a thar.

EXPLODE THE WAVE (plus): Typical starting formation – wave. Dancers step thru, face in, and right pull by. Ends in couples back to back.

EXPLODE AND (ANYTHING) (plus): Typical starting formation – wave. Dancers step thru, face in, and do the anything call.

LINEAR CYCLE: Typical starting formation – wave. Dancers hinge, and leaders (original centers) fold behind the others. All double pass thru (left if the waves were left-handed), and peel off in the direction of the shoulder pass. Ends in facing couples.

PEEL OFF (plus): Typical starting formation – tandem couples or mini-wave box. Dancers 1/2 zoom and the original trailers U-turn back away from the center of the box. Each tandem ends as a couple with the original trailer as the center.

RELAY THE DEUCEY (plus): Typical starting formation – parallel waves.

  1. Arm turn 1/2.
  2. Center 4 arm turn 3/4 while the ends 1/2 circulate.
  3. Center wave of 6 arm turn 1/2.
  4. Center wave of 4 arm turn 1/2 while the other 4 circulate to the next outside position.
  5. Center wave of 6 arm turn 1/2.
  6. Center wave of 4 arm turn 3/4 while the other 4 move up (to the ends of waves).
    Ends in waves.
  7. COORDINATE (plus): Typical starting formation – columns.
  8. Circulate.
  9. 1/2 circulate.
  10. Center 6 trade.
  11. Very centers move forward and apart to be ends of lines while the very ends move up turning 90° to be ends of lines.
  12. Ends in two-faced lines.

CUT THE DIAMOND (plus): Typical starting formation – diamond. Points of the diamond slide together without turning and trade while the centers diamond circulate. Ends in a wave or line.

FOLLOW YOUR NEIGHBOR (plus): Typical starting formation – mini-wave box. Trailers extend and arm turn 3/4, while the leaders 1/2 split circulate and U-turn back in flow direction. Ends in a wave.

(ANYTHING) AND ROLL (plus): Typical starting formation – various formations. Dancers perform the (anything) call, and dancers who turned as part of their last movement in the call continue turning 90° in place. Dancers whose last movement did not involve turning do not turn.

SPIN CHAIN AND EXCHANGE THE GEARS (plus): Typical starting formation – waves.

  1. Arm turn 1/2.
  2. Centers arm turn 3/4 while ends U-turn back inward to form a star.
  3. Very centers arm turn 1/2.
  4. Each star of 4 turns 3/4.
  5. Very centers walk out around the other star, while the others follow them, turning their own star until they are in very center position when they walk around the other star. When the first dancer has walked 3/4 of the way around the other star, they flip inward to become the lead center, and take hands with the second dancer, who becomes the trailing end. The third dancer flips in to become the trailing center, and the fourth dancer walks up to be the lead end.

Ends in waves.

TRADE THE WAVE (plus): Typical starting formation – wave. Dancers trade with the other dancer in their wave facing the same direction. Ends in a wave of the opposite handedness.

CHASE RIGHT (plus): Typical starting formation – couples back to back. Right-hand dancers U-turn back toward the right, and all split circulate twice. Ends in a right-hand mini-wave box.

CHASE RIGHT (plus): Typical starting formation – couples back to back. Right-hand dancers U-turn back toward the right, and all split circulate twice. Ends in a right-hand mini-wave box.

PEEL THE TOP: Typical starting formation – mini-wave box. Leaders peel off while the trailers step forward if necessary to join hands, and all fan thetop. Ends in a wave.

(ANYTHING) AND SPREAD (plus): Typical starting formation – beginning double pass thru or wave.

If a call ends in a wave or line (for example, Follow Your Neighbor and Spread), adjacent centers and ends slide past each other, switching places without turning around. This changes right-hand waves to left-hand waves and vice versa.

If a call ends in one couple behind another couple (for example, Wheel and Deal and Spread), the leaders slide apart without turning, and the trailers step forward into the vacant positions.

If a call has active dancers (for example, Heads Touch 1/4 and Spread), the active dancers slide apart without turning, and the inactive dancers step forward into the vacant positions.

TEACUP CHAIN (plus): Typical starting formation – squared set. Some of the ladies are designated to go into the center.

Ends on squared set positions. Ladies alternate hands as they progress in promenade direction, alternating moving around the outside with starring in the center. Men stay on their home positions and arm turn by whatever hand the ladies offer.

TRACK TWO (plus): Typical starting formation – completed double pass thru. Leaders trade with each other and walk forward while the trailers follow them. Dancers walk forward passing right shoulders until they are at the 1/2 tag position. Ends in right-hand waves.

DIXIE GRAND (plus): Typical starting formation – beginning double pass thru.

  1. Dancers who are facing another dancer along their circulate path right pull by.
  2. Dancers who are facing another dancer along their circulate path left pull by, as all dancers adjust to a right and left grand circle.
  3. Dancers who are facing right pull by.

GRAND SWING THRU (plus): Typical starting formation – tidal wave. Those who have right hands joined right arm turn 1/2, then those who have left hands joined left arm turn 1/2.

PING PONG CIRCULATE (plus): Typical starting formation – quarter tag. Dancers in the wave step forward and trade with each other (passing left shoulders if the wave was left-handed), while the outsides step to a wave in the center, maintaining the handedness of the center wave. Ends in a quarter tag.

SINGLE CIRCLE TO A WAVE (plus): Typical starting formation – facing dancers. Dancers join hands, circle left 1/2, and step to a wave. Ends in a right-hand mini-wave.

Scroll to Top