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1's
In each set of four, the couple nearer to the band at the start of
the dance.
2's
In each set of four, the couple farther from the band at the start
of the dance.
across
Toward the other side of the set. Ninety degrees
from facing up or down. Neither toward the band nor away form it. see
also top, bottom, side
active couple
1. Another name for the #1 couples.
2. The couple(s) who are to do the figure being called.
allemande (allemande
left photo)
Two dancers walking around each other with either right hands
or left hands touching palm to palm in the arm position they would use
if they were arm wrestling. Regardless of whether
fingers are wrapped around the other's hand or the hand remains open, the
connections is made by gentle pressure and not squeazing, which hurts.
By bending at the elbow, apply enough pressure that you can roatate as
a single unit.
becket
A contra dance formation that starts with you next to partner on the
side of the set, lady on the right. You will be facing your neighbor across
the set.
balance
Used as a bouncy contrast to the smooth flow of the other figures,
a balance is done holding hands while stepping together and apart in four
beats at a certain place in the music. Used before
a swing, it is most easily done by stepping forward and back with a little
arm tension. Stepping to the right, then kicking right (with your free
foot), then stepping left and kicking left is another option used frequently
when balancing in wavy lines and sometimes before a swing.
bottom
The fartherest from the band. see also
top, up, down
box the gnat
Raising joined RIGHT hands, both walk forward passing RIGHT shoulders.
Trade places with the lady twirling away from the man as she goes under
the arch. see also twirl to swap,
swat the flea, star thru
bend the line
From a line of four moving up or down, the center two slow down so
that the line folds together and everyone ends facing across.
buzz step
A swing step that slides the right foot forward in a small circle by
pushing (like riding a scooter) with the left foot. Done
because it has the important advantage of being smoother. One person can
be doing a walking step while the other is doing a buzz step.
California twirl
A couple raises joined hands (men's right, woman's left) and the lady
walks under the arch as they trade places and face the opposite direction
from the start of the figure.
cast around
When "A" casts around "B", they always face the same direction connected
by arms around the waist or joining inside hands. "A" walks forward around
"B" while "B" rotates as the pivot point.
contra corners
In long lines the dancers alternate between the half who are the actives
doing the figure, and half are inactive, stationary pivots maintaining
the shape of the contra line. Usually it is done with all the men on one
side in a line and all the woman on the other side. Active can expext to
see their partners straight across the set. Standing on either side of
their partners will be their corners. Find your first corner by looking
a little to your right and your second corner a little to your left. Actives
will be doing the figure with these three dancers and not with anyone in
the line where they started the figure. Actives meet in the center and
allemande right a very small amount, just far enough to give left hands
to the first corner. Allemande left one tinme around with the first corner
to meet your partner again in the center. Allemande right your partner
far enough to give left hands to your second corner who you allemande left
one time.
Actives go to 1. partner, 2. first corner, 3. partner. 4. second corner,
5. return to partner.
Inactives stay in place holding up the left hand and facing a little
to the right, then left hand up facing a little left.
cross trail
After passing right shoulders with the person across the set, face
up and down and pass left shoulders with the one you face.
corner
1. The person on the other side of you from your partner.
2. In contra corners, the person to either side of your partner.
see contra corners
courtesy turn
The lady is on the man's right side and facing the same direction with
left hands are joined. The lady's right hand is on her right hip, and the
man reaches behind her to place his right hand on hers. The man walks backward
and the lady walks forward to wheel around and face across the set. Often
the lady will substitue one or two twirls for the courtesy turn.
dip and dive
Couples join inside hands with each other and face another couple.
One couple raises joined hands and the other ducks throught the arch to
face a new couple.
do-si-do
Without touching, pass right shoulders with the specified dancer, go
back to back, and back up to original place passing left shoulders. No
particular arm position is needed or wanted. Going once around each other
usually does not take the full count of music, so experienced dancers often
use the extra time to twirl individually as they move. Can also be done
one and one half times around to trade places.
down the hall 4 in line
All four dancers of the minor set forming a line across the set facing
down the hall away from the band. Holding nearest hands they travel away
from the band and usually turn around in eight counts of music. Then, they
usually reeturn back up the hall.
duple
Two couple (minor) subsets in a contra line so that everyone is a #1
couple or a # 2 couple. Many old dances used to be triple minor by
taking "hands six" with couple #1, #2 and #3.
face in
Facing across the hall so that you are looking at someone on the other
side of the set.
face out
Facing across the hall, looking away from your contra set so that you
are turning your back on the other side of your set.
four in line
The four dancers in the subset forming a line across the hall. Usually
referrs to facing the same direction to promenade together down the hall.
forward and back
Lines of dancers come together in four beats and back up to where they
started in four beats.
gypsy
Gaze into each other's eyes, and walk around each other clockwise without
touching.
half figure eight
A figure in which one couple is active
and the other inactive. With the lady going
slightly before the man to avoid a collission, the active follows an "x"
pattern going between the inactive and crossing to the other side.
hand cast
While always next to each other and facing the same direction, the
active person walks around the inactive who rotates as pivot.
hands across star
In a set of four, joining right hands in a handshake grip (or left
hand in the same way) with the opposite person, usually of the same sex.
The dancers form an "x" in the center with the two lines of the "x" crosing
over each other but not touching.
hands four (photo,
use "back" on browser to return)
Forming subgroups (minor sets) of four dancers.
hey
A weaving move across the set. In a complete hey everyone crosses the
set, turns around, and returns to where he started. If the hey is only
"half way", stop when you are on the other side of the set. Like a set
of railroad tracks, contra lines are made of three spaces consisting of
two long lines separated by space in the middle. Even when everyone is
in motion as in doing a hey, you are on one side, the other side, or in
the middle. Cross completely across the set weaving left and right. Whatever
shoulder you pass in the middle, loop in the other direction on the side.
improper
The most commmon dance formation. As couples face up and down the set
in groups of four, you are standing next to your partner with the lasy
on the right.
inactive couple
1. In a set of four dancers, the # 2 couple who starts farther
from the band facing up.
2. The couple who does less because the calls are directed to
the other couple in the set.
ladies chain
As currently used, the ladies trad paces by weaving across the set,
pulling by each other with right hands in the center, giving left hands
to the other gent and doing a courtesy turn
to wheel around to face across. Originally, in the
complete figure, ladies repeated the same motion to return to where they
started.
long lines
Taking hands up and down the set.
long lines go forward
and back
Taking hands up and down the set facing into the center. In four counts
the lines go forward, meeting in the center. In the next four counts, the
lines back up to where they started.
major set
Everyone who will dance together in a particular dance. One contra
line meaning a line of groups of four dancers made of two sides as one
railroad trak is made of two rails.
minor set
The division everyone who will dance together into subgroups of two
couples (four dancers). Formerly many dances divided into three couple
subgroups.
neighbor
The opposite sex person in your set you is nmot your partner.
partner
The person you asked to dance who will be with you in the same position
as you progress from one set of four to another.
pass thru
Pass right shoulders with the person in front of you. The
ladies will split the other couple.
Petronella spin
Done in a circle of four dancers, usually after balancing the circle.
Move into the place of the person standing to your right as you spin clockwise
over your right shoulder. Normally you catch hands in the circle again
at the end of the move. "Petronella" is the name of the old dance that
used this move.
progression
A moving up or down the hall that enables you to join a different set
of four (or six in a triple minor dance).
promenade
Walking as a couple side by side with the lady on the right. Facing
the same direction the man reach across with his left hand to take the
lady's left hand. The lady reaches across with her right ahnd to take the
man's right hand above the joined left hands. When used to cross the set,
men pass left shoulders, then the couple wheels around to face into the
center. Formerly, in the complete figure, dancers
also promenaded back to where they started.
proper
1. A contra dance formation in which all the men on on the side of
the set to the caller's right (the men's line) and all the women are on
the side of the set to the caller's left (the women's line).
2. Can also be applied to certain couples, as in, "Only the #2 couples
are proper."
right, left thru across the set
Pass thru across the set, and with a courtesy
turn, wheel around to face in. Formerly, in
the complete figure, dancers also did a right left thru back to where they
started. Many areas, use the more historically
correct form of pulling by right hands across the set, followed by giving
left hands to start a courtesy turn. Some callers think giving hands in
the pull by teaches dancers to execute the figure in time with the music.
However, I have not found it to be a good tool for teaching timing, and
a pull by at the wrong time (usually late) feels very unsatisfying.
roll away with a half
sashay
A move for trading places with one other dancer. Both start facing
the same direction or next to each other in a circle with nearest hands
joined. Dancer "A" gives a gentle tug as dancer "B" turns to step
in front of "A" face to face. As "A" moves sideways to the place where
"B" began, "B" Without stopping as they face each other, dancer "B" continues
to spin to the other side of dancer "A". When they have traded places,
they end the figure by catching each other with the free hand.
Rory O'More
A figure for trading places with an adjacent dancer in a wavy line,
usually done twice, first in one direction and then the other. Often done
after a balance, dancers slide past each other like sliding patio doors
and always end by catching hands in a wave facing the same way they
did at the start. If they are sliding right, they can spin exactly
one time around over the right shoulder, and if sliding left, over the
left shoulder. Originally the name of a certain dance
that used this move.
see-saw
A left shoulder "do-si-do". Without touching,
pass right shoulders with the specified dancer, go back to back, and back
up to original place passing left shoulders.
shadow
A.k.a. "trail buddy". Someone, besides your partner, who you will meet
in a specific figure each time through the dance.
side
If a contra line is seen as a railroad track, the side of the set would
be one of the rails.
star
Each dancer in a group of four putting one hand (either right or left)
into the center of the group and rotating the group a specified amount.
star thru
A.k.a. twirl to swap. Raising joined hands, man's right hand
to lady's left hand, both walk forward passing right shoulders. Trade places
with the lady twirling away from the man as she goes under the arch. Using
right hand to left hand flows nicely into a circle left. This figure has
nothing to do with making a star.
swat the flea
A.k.a. twirl to swap. Raising joined
LEFT hands, both walk forward passing LEFT shoulders. Trade places with
the lady twirling away from the man as she goes under the arch. A
left hand to left hand box the gnat. also see:
swat the flea, star thru
swing
A couple moving clockwise around each other with the man's right hand
behind the woman's back, and the woman' s left hand on or behind the man's
right shoulder. The man's other hand can loosely
hold the woman's free hand, however there are many interesting variations
tto the basic swing. Eye contact is a plus.
trail buddy
A.k.a. "shadow". Someone, besides your partner, who you will meet in
a specific figure each time through the dance.
triple
A dance in which the subgroups (minor sets) are made of three couple
instead of two.
twirl to swap
A generic term for "box the gnat", "swat the flea", "California twirl"
or "star thru". Raising joined hands, both walk forward
to trade places with the lady twirling away from the man as she goes under
the arch.
wavy line
Holding hands in a line so you are facing the opposite direction from
the dancers on either side of you.
wrist hold star
Reaching into the center of the group of four and placing your hand
on the wrist of the person in front of you. In a
right hand star (or a left hand star), your right hands (or left hands)
will form a little box in the middle.
