LOST SQUARES

In 1986 CALLERLAB introduced a procedure for 'LOST SQUARES'. It was approved with some small changes in 1987 and has now been revised. CALLERLAB recommends that dancers use the following Patter and Singing Call Procedures to help lost squares quickly resume dancing. Callers should teach these procedures to their dancers and be alert for sets waiting to re-enter the action and for sets struggling with singing calls.

PATTER PROCEDURE - Make Normal Lines, Wait for Entry, and Sort during Promenade

The following procedure is intended for use during Patter or Hoedown calling when longer sequences are likely and at least half the square is confused. If only one or two dancers are lost then they should look for a helpful hand and attempt to fill the vacant spots within the still functioning square.

DANCER'S RESPONSIBILITY

1. If dancers in a confused but partially functioning square hear "Make Normal Lines", then lost dancers should quickly adjust to Normal Couples (Boy left, Girl right) ready to join the forming Normal (Boy-Girl-Boy-Girl) Facing Lines.

2. In the case of total breakdown each dancer should return to home position as soon as possible. Then the head ladies join hands with their corner and the head couples back out to form normal lines at the sides of the square.

3. On the caller's command, "Normal Lines, Go Forward and Back", all lost squares enter into the dance pattern. If a resolution is heard first, then dancers in lost squares should simply readjust to a squared set.

4. Dancers in a lost square must remember that re-entering from normal lines does not guarantee a correct resolution. Full recovery will probably require rapid sorting to home during the Promenade (move counter-clockwise but step out at your home).

CALLER'S RESPONSIBILITY

1. Recognize that a number of sets have broken down and have formed lines.

2. Place the dancing squares into facing lines that are in a normal BGBG arrangement (#0L).

3. Give the command "NORMAL LINES, Go Forward and Back" in a bold voice, which is the command for the lost squares to enter into the dance pattern.

4. Allow enough time during the Promenade for squares that were lost to complete their Promenade and sort as necessary to get home. If an "at home" resolution is used, make sure all the sets are squared up.


SINGING CALL PROCEDURE - Swing, and Men Sort during Promenade

The following procedure is intended for use during a Singing Call where the sequences are short and closely timed to the music. The minimum needed to avoid more confusion and resume dancing at the next sequence is each man at home with some lady for a partner.

DANCER'S RESPONSIBILITY

Since partners probably should be changing, dancers in a lost square should be ready for a quick Swing with their corner or nearest opposite sex and then expect to make adjustments during the Promenade so that the men end at home. If still lost during the Promenade, men should quickly head for home while ladies should join the closest un-partnered man.

CALLER'S RESPONSIBILITY

In the case of significant breakdown on the floor, adjust the choreography or provide more clues and cues to improve the success rate on the next figure.

TIPS FOR NEW DANCERS

1. Star Thru: Women, do not raise your hand up too high; bring it straight out from the side of your head. Also, offer some resistance with your arm - stiffen it a little. These things will enable you to do a much smoother and more precise star thru.

2. Turn Thru: After the turn half make a good distinct pull by using a full step. There is a tendency to want to retain your hold with the person you have turned, as though this person were a security blanket; without a good firm pull by there is a good chance the square will break down on the next call, because it will be difficult for the dancers to see their position.

3. Right and Left Grand: New dancers tend to hold on too long to each person when pulling by. This is annoying to other dancers and makes for jerky execution of the call. A quick, snappy pull by is all that is needed.

4. Fan: Any call which starts with the word “fan” means the center of the wave or line are going to begin the call. This is an important clue to remember, because on a “fan” call you, as a center person, never want to begin turning an outside person, it will mean an instant breakdown of the set with no chance to recover if you do.

5. Allemande Thar: Dancers should grip the wrists of the person ahead - this will hold the set together. Do not just put your hand into the center of the set and hold it upright - new dancers sometimes do this. Also the dancers on the inside should move very slowly so the outsides don’t have to run to keep up.

STYLING

1. Anytime you are making an arm turn, always offer resistance with your turning arm - stiffen it slightly. This smooth’s out the move and also enables one person to exercise control if the other person is unsure of how to do the call. Many squares break down without anyone knowing why merely because dancers have used limp arms and have therefore lost their positioning,

On the other hand, new men dancers are sometimes too rough in using arm turns with the ladies, but they never seem to be aware of this. Men, make an effort to analyze whether you are being too strong in arm turns or handgrips with the ladies.

2. Be bold in executing calls. If you are going to make a mistake, make a big one; this way someone will see your mistake, be able to explain what you did wrong, and you will probably not make that mistake again.

Many new dancers hold back on all calls, even ones they know, for fear of making a mistake. But this results in the square being slow in getting thru calls and possibly breaking down as a result. In addition, it hides mistakes dancers are making, and these mistakes could go on for months or years before being detected; then they have become a habit and are much harder to break.

3. There is a tendency for new dancers, especially the men, to lean forward excessively when doing calls. This looks bad and it will also tire a person out quickly. Try to stand erect or even lean back a little while dancing as it makes you look so much better.

4. Be a dancer, not a walker. Some people walk all the calls rather than dance them. This looks bad, throws a person’s timing off and quite likely throws off the timing of the entire set. The result is an uncomfortable dance feeling and the square is more likely to break down.

5. Shuffle your feet. Lifting your feet will tire you much more rapidly and will break up the dance rhythm. Remember that you are DANCING and not merely moving mechanically through various figures. Keep the rhythmic beat of the music with your feet while you glide along the floor.

6. Compromise if you miss part of a call. Don’t try to catch up by racing thru all the missed parts. The odds are you won’t make it and the set will break down. Instead forget the part you missed and try to pick up the action where everyone else is, as this will keep the set dancing.

7. Keep your set tight, not spread out. New dancers tend to form large squares and then cannot understand why they always seem to be slow in executing calls; the reason is they are forcing themselves to cover much more ground in doing the calls by having a large set, and this takes more time. Experienced dancers keep their sets small and have ample time to do the calls.

Even if you start out with a tight set, it can expand as you do a variety of calls. Be aware that this will happen and always work to close in the set if it gets too large; you can do this while you are dancing.

MISCELLANEOUS TIPS

1. Square up quickly. New dancers tend to hold back getting in squares, perhaps waiting to be asked. But other dancers may think you want to sit out a tip and that this is why you do not get up. Therefore they will not ask you to dance. If you want to dance, be on the floor within 15 seconds after the music goes on. If you stall around, the sets will be filled and you could be left out.

This is especially important when visiting other clubs. While clubs enjoy having visitors, they will not pamper their guests. If you want to dance, get on the floor right away.

2. Dance to other callers. By dancing to different styles of calling, you will improve your knowledge and understanding of square dancing and your ability to do various calls.

3. Don’t knock your club; help it by being friendly and kind to all members and guests. If you are asked to help on a committee or a job, try to do so. If everyone refused to do any work, there would be no club.

TIPS FOR BETTER DANCING by Ed Foote

Most of this information, although generally known, has not been printed anywhere. Dancers who follow these rules find they dance more, stand less, and in general have a more enjoyable dancing experience.

Take hands with those standing beside you immediately after the completion of any figure. This will help you to see the formation you are in (line, wave, etc.) to do the next call.

• Hands should be joined within l/2 second after the completion of any call. Failure to join hands after a call will often result in sloppy lines or waves, which will cause the square to break down trying to do the next call.
• Elbows must be bent when hands are joined. If arms are outstretched when hands are touching, the set is much too large to operate smoothly.

• Believe the caller, no matter what he says. Often dancers will stop cold if a caller tells them to do something and they do not know why he told them to do it. This results in the needless breakdown of the square. Forget worrying about “why” and just do as the caller says. If a dancer refuses to execute a given command, he has no one to blame but himself when this causes his square to break down.
• If the caller gives a call you have never heard, do not give up and quit. In the vast majority of cases the caller will tell you how to do the call after he has said the name, especially if it is not one of the “Basic Mainstream” calls. Even if you have never heard a call, if it is not complicated, there is no reason for you not being able to do the call if the caller talks you through it.
• If you want to help someone who is lost, avoid talking and instead use hand signals. A very effective method is to point to the spot they should be in. If you talk, this may cause you and others in the square to miss hearing the caller give the next call.
• If you are positive you have done a call correctly, do not let someone who is unsure of the call make you change your position. This will keep the square going.
• If a set consists of two strong couples and two weak couples, the strong couples should be across from each other when squared up, never adjacent. This will give each weak person a strong corner, and will provide each side of the square with strong dancers when doing calls. If you and another couple visit a dance where the level is higher than you are used to, if you dance together be sure to square up across from each other. Likewise, if two new graduates dance in your square, be sure that you and the other strong couple square up across from each other.
• Keep your head raised. This lets you see what is going on. Many people dance looking down at the floor, and thus are out of touch with the set as a whole.
• Keep the set small. Large sets break down much more often than small sets. One way to keep the set small is to touch hands immediately after each call.
• Always have your set lined up with the walls. Often a set will become slightly offset and a Cast Off or turning motion may cause some people to become disoriented. If the caller has the set Promenade and has the heads or sides Wheel Around, it is quite likely the set will not be lined up with the walls. The solution is to take it upon yourself to make slight adjustments on the next two or three calls to get the set aligned with the walls. One person can cause the whole set to adjust, so you be this person.

• Do not turn around. This will make it difficult for someone behind you to help you recover. It is much easier to guide someone into place by guiding them from the back.
• Turn your head in all directions to see where you should go; and if someone says to turn around or you see that you should turn around, then do it. Otherwise, retain your facing direction and let someone guide you into place.
• Do not wander around. Stay put until someone either guides you into place or tells you to go to a certain point. Do not be surprised that you get this help, expect that you will get it and be ready to respond to it quickly.

• Do this by squaring back up and then have the head couples slide to the right to form normal facing lines of four with each woman to the right of a man. Now watch the other squares. Often the caller will get the squares back to facing lines a couple of times before finally getting to a Left Allemande; when he does get them to facing lines, your square can now pick up the next call and you are dancing again. You may not wind up with your original partner or corner, but you are dancing and that is the name of the game.
• This will not work every time, as sometimes the caller does not bring people back to facing lines before a Left Allemande; but it works often enough to be worth doing. In fact, many callers will intentionally bring people back to facing lines in order to pick up those who have broken down early, if you do not accept this opportunity to get back dancing, you may have a long stand until the next Left Allemande.

• Whenever you pass through with someone, always pass right shoulders, never left shoulders. The only exception is from a left-hand wave - there you will step straight ahead.

CODE OF ETHICS FOR NEW SQUARE DANCERS

I will try to remember that the primary basic of square dancing is to have FUN, and “a square dancer I do not know is a friend I haven’t met.”

Remembering that square dancing is an exercising activity, I will wear appropriate attire.

I will always try to keep alive the spirit of square dancing by always practicing good fellowship.

I will try not to talk about other dancers unless I have something good to say.

I understand it is inappropriate to walk out of a square unless I am ill or for an important reason and I will try to get someone to take my place.

I will not sit out a dance tip if one more couple is needed to fill a square.

I will do my share of club duties, whenever asked.

I will have respect for my Caller and always feel free to ask questions.

I will leave instruction to the Caller and not try to explain to my own square.

I will remember that once upon a time I was a beginner and be willing to dance with those who have had less experience than I have had.

WHAT DO I EXPECT OF ANGELS?

AL STEVENS

from NOTES FOR EUROPEAN CALLERS, November 1996

Dancers frequently ask me what I expect from angels, or tell me that they feel they are not good enough dancers to be angels. This is often said about five-seconds before I'm ready to start another tip, so I never have time to respond properly. I decided to think it through and put my ideas down in writing.

The first thing I expect is that angels will be friendly. Angels should mix with student dancers during the tips and between tips. Occasionally student dancers will take lessons with more than one club. The club they decide to join will be the one that they find most friendly, the people with whom they enjoy being. Later in their dancing life, these dancers may join clubs on the basis of program (formerly level) the talent of the caller, the proficiency of the members, etc., but at this moment, the new dancers select their club on its friendliness.

I also like my angels to mix with the students during the dancing, to take a student as a partner, without being reminded. Mixing with students doesn't mean just being partners with the "good" dancers (or the good looking ones). It also means being partners with those who have trouble remembering left from right. The fact is the poorer the dancer, the more they need your help and friendship, especially during the early weeks of lessons. You may find that a particular couple does not like to be split up; they prefer dancing with their spouse. Ok, let them, but give them company in their square.

Now what about the dancing ability of the angels? I expect that the angels will have learned to listen, and that is all I really want. Experienced dancers can help better if they listen to the instructions given to the students. I don't expect the angels to be teachers. Angels can help the new students better by pointing to where the students should go than they can by pushing or pulling them.

And all angels know that callers don't want talk while the caller is talking or calling. Angels can help get this point across to the students by signaling to them to be quiet as well. All angels know that callers don't want the angels to do any "non-standard" movements that have not been taught--no two-handed allemandes, no waist swing dosado's, no hip bumps, no twirls, etc. These unorthodox moves only confuse the new dancers.

In summary, "What Do I Expect From Angels"?
Be Friendly
Mix With Students
Guide Them With Signals, No Pushing Or Pulling
Don't Confuse Them With Gimmicky Moves
Most Important Of All: BE FRIENDLY