Samena Squares Lesson #1
09/19/2013
Dear Friends,
Welcome to the Samena Squares! What a great group! We are so glad that you chose to join us!
After each Thursday session, I will send out an email newsletter, which will include a brief summary definition of the calls that we learned new that night. The week after next you will receive a list of the square dance moves we will learn as well as a book with complete definitions and pictures and diagrams. Use the list I send as a way to refresh your memory before coming each Thursday night.
Occasionally, I will include other tidbits about square dancing. This week a bit of history: Square dancing is THE American folk dance. It is the Washington State Dance. Square dancing is popular around the world. You can square dance almost anywhere, most recently in Russia. Square dances are always called in English.
Dates to note:
There are two dates that I want you to put on your calendar immediately, Friday, October 4, 7:30 – 10:30 p.m. There is a dance that night for new square dancers. It will be an opportunity to dance the calls that you know to another caller. It will be an opportunity to meet other new square dancers too. My husband and I and some of the Samenas will likely be attending so you will know someone. We will talk more about this next Thursday night.
The other date is Friday, October 25, 7:30 – 10:30 p.m. This is a dance hosted by the Samena Squares for new dancers. It is a Halloween Dance (costumes encouraged), the Dance of the Pumpkins.
This week I want to give you a couple of online resources. The Samena Squares have a great web site – http://www.samenasquares.org. Thanks to Jim Hunt, our Webmaster. There is a button “Just For Students.” There you will find these weekly newsletters as well as a list of dances that you can go to. There will be more about these in the next few weeks.
I also have a web page – http://www.callersusan.com. There is a tab “Samena’s New Dancers,” where you will find these newsletters.
Below you will find the definitions of the calls we danced last Thursday night. Don’t worry if you think you don’t remember how to do them. I will re-teach all of the calls that this Thursday night before we add any new ones. Don’t forget that Thursday is another open enrollment week. Feel free to bring friends, family, co-workers, etc. to class.
Happy dancing,
Susan
Week #1:
Dancer naming:
i, Couple: Two people standing side by side; for universal understanding of square dance commands the dancer on the left dances the boy/man part of commands, the dancer on the right dances the girl/lady part of commands.
ii. Heads, Sides, Couple Numbers: Head couples have their back to or face the caller/music; Sides are the other two couples; Couple numbers – #1 back to caller, #2 to their right, #3 to the right of #2 or face the caller, #4 to the right of #3.
iii. Boys, Girls: Actual Boys and Girls or those dancing the Boy/Girl part of the move.
1. Circle Left & Right: Join hands in a circle and move left or right as indicated; circles can be made with 2 or more people. CIRCLE LEFT or RIGHT – 8 dancers full around, 16 steps; 4 dancers full around, 8 steps.
2. Forward & Back: In a squared set for heads or sides, it is 3 steps and touch, then back 3 steps. FORWARD & BACK – 8 steps.
3 a. Dosado: With person you are facing, step slightly left, walk forward to pass right shoulders, slide back to back, back up past left shoulder, slide to face to face start position. DOSADO – with corner/partner 6 steps, across square – 8 steps.
5. Promenade Family:
5 a. Couples: With partner walk together counter-clockwise to home position; right hands joined over joined left hands. PROMENADE – couples full around 16 steps.
5 b. Single File Promenade: Specified dancers walk single file counterclockwise inside the square or where indicated by the caller. SINGLE FILE PROMENADE – 4 dancers inside to home – 8 steps.
5 d. Star Promenade: Dancers in the star put their arm around (or join hands with) the indicated dancer and continue walking together until the next call. STAR PROMENADE – 4 couples full around 12 steps; with backout at home – 16 steps.
6. Allemande Left: Turn toward corner, left arm turn 180 degrees, let go and step through, end back to back with corner, facing partner. ALLEMANDE LEFT – 8 steps.
8. Right and Left Grand Family:
8 a. Right & Left Grand: Start facing partner, take right hands, walk by, offer left hand to next, walk by; continue alternating hands to the 5th hand (should be the dancer you started with). Boys are going counterclockwise; girls are going clockwise. RIGHT & LEFT GRAND – 10 steps.
8 b. Weave the Ring: Same as RIGHT AND LEFT GRAND without hands. Hint: pass same shoulder as the hand you would be using. WEAVE THE RING – 10 steps.
9. Left/Right Hand Star: Indicated dancers step to the center of the formation to join the designated hand in a loose star; walk forward to starting position of next call. It is often a full turn but can be fractionalized. LEFT/ RIGHT HAND STAR – 4 dancers full around 8 steps.
10. Pass Thru: With person you are facing step ahead passing right shoulders. STOP as soon as you pass by. End back to back. Same as 1/2 DOSADO. PASS THRU – 2 steps.
11 c. Ladies In Men Sashay: In any circle of boy/girl couples with the boy on the left and girl on the right circling left, the girls step forward, the boys step to their left and the girls step back to a new empty place. If the dancers are circling right, it is the opposite. Can also be done from a line. For variety, the call can be Men In Ladies Sashay. LADIES IN MEN SASHAY – 4 steps.
18. Lead Right: Directed couples (Heads, Sides), with a couple handhold, will walk forward as a couple to face the couple to the right. LEAD RIGHT – 4 steps.
19. Veer Left/Right: Moving as a couple, slide left or right as directed, maintaining facing direction with a small forward motion as well. VEER LEFT/RIGHT – 2 steps.
20. Bend The Line: Couples, as a unit, turn 90 degrees to face center. Like folding a piece of paper. Each end moves forward to meet the other end. The centers need to back up a little to accommodate. This creates new lines facing in. As a couple, you will ALWAYS be facing the other couple that was in your line. BEND THE LINE – 4 steps.
21. Circulate Family:
21. b. Couples Circulate: As a couple move to the next couples place in the square; if you are looking at someone’s back step straight ahead; if you are looking out of the square as a couple move around the corner to the place of the next couple. COUPLES CIRCULATE – 4 steps.
I. Emergency call: If someone should fall down in your square, immediately have the other seven dancers join hands stretch out to as big a circle as you can and raise your joined hands as high as you can. This will signal the club officers and the caller that something happened.
J. Lost squares: All squares will occasionally break down. The causes can be numerous. A few examples are not hearing the caller, talking in the square, forgetting how to do a call, dancing above your ability, losing your concentration and focus. When your square breaks down, make lines of four facing. This is a sign for the caller. Try to do this in 4 or 5 beats of music. The caller will signal an opportunity to rejoin the dancing with “Lines of four, up to the middle and back,” or an equivalent.
Welcome to the Samena Squares! What a great group! We are so glad that you chose to join us!
After each Thursday session, I will send out an email newsletter, which will include a brief summary definition of the calls that we learned new that night. The week after next you will receive a list of the square dance moves we will learn as well as a book with complete definitions and pictures and diagrams. Use the list I send as a way to refresh your memory before coming each Thursday night.
Occasionally, I will include other tidbits about square dancing. This week a bit of history: Square dancing is THE American folk dance. It is the Washington State Dance. Square dancing is popular around the world. You can square dance almost anywhere, most recently in Russia. Square dances are always called in English.
Dates to note:
There are two dates that I want you to put on your calendar immediately, Friday, October 4, 7:30 – 10:30 p.m. There is a dance that night for new square dancers. It will be an opportunity to dance the calls that you know to another caller. It will be an opportunity to meet other new square dancers too. My husband and I and some of the Samenas will likely be attending so you will know someone. We will talk more about this next Thursday night.
The other date is Friday, October 25, 7:30 – 10:30 p.m. This is a dance hosted by the Samena Squares for new dancers. It is a Halloween Dance (costumes encouraged), the Dance of the Pumpkins.
This week I want to give you a couple of online resources. The Samena Squares have a great web site – http://www.samenasquares.org. Thanks to Jim Hunt, our Webmaster. There is a button “Just For Students.” There you will find these weekly newsletters as well as a list of dances that you can go to. There will be more about these in the next few weeks.
I also have a web page – http://www.callersusan.com. There is a tab “Samena’s New Dancers,” where you will find these newsletters.
Below you will find the definitions of the calls we danced last Thursday night. Don’t worry if you think you don’t remember how to do them. I will re-teach all of the calls that this Thursday night before we add any new ones. Don’t forget that Thursday is another open enrollment week. Feel free to bring friends, family, co-workers, etc. to class.
Happy dancing,
Susan
Week #1:
Dancer naming:
i, Couple: Two people standing side by side; for universal understanding of square dance commands the dancer on the left dances the boy/man part of commands, the dancer on the right dances the girl/lady part of commands.
ii. Heads, Sides, Couple Numbers: Head couples have their back to or face the caller/music; Sides are the other two couples; Couple numbers – #1 back to caller, #2 to their right, #3 to the right of #2 or face the caller, #4 to the right of #3.
iii. Boys, Girls: Actual Boys and Girls or those dancing the Boy/Girl part of the move.
1. Circle Left & Right: Join hands in a circle and move left or right as indicated; circles can be made with 2 or more people. CIRCLE LEFT or RIGHT – 8 dancers full around, 16 steps; 4 dancers full around, 8 steps.
2. Forward & Back: In a squared set for heads or sides, it is 3 steps and touch, then back 3 steps. FORWARD & BACK – 8 steps.
3 a. Dosado: With person you are facing, step slightly left, walk forward to pass right shoulders, slide back to back, back up past left shoulder, slide to face to face start position. DOSADO – with corner/partner 6 steps, across square – 8 steps.
5. Promenade Family:
5 a. Couples: With partner walk together counter-clockwise to home position; right hands joined over joined left hands. PROMENADE – couples full around 16 steps.
5 b. Single File Promenade: Specified dancers walk single file counterclockwise inside the square or where indicated by the caller. SINGLE FILE PROMENADE – 4 dancers inside to home – 8 steps.
5 d. Star Promenade: Dancers in the star put their arm around (or join hands with) the indicated dancer and continue walking together until the next call. STAR PROMENADE – 4 couples full around 12 steps; with backout at home – 16 steps.
6. Allemande Left: Turn toward corner, left arm turn 180 degrees, let go and step through, end back to back with corner, facing partner. ALLEMANDE LEFT – 8 steps.
8. Right and Left Grand Family:
8 a. Right & Left Grand: Start facing partner, take right hands, walk by, offer left hand to next, walk by; continue alternating hands to the 5th hand (should be the dancer you started with). Boys are going counterclockwise; girls are going clockwise. RIGHT & LEFT GRAND – 10 steps.
8 b. Weave the Ring: Same as RIGHT AND LEFT GRAND without hands. Hint: pass same shoulder as the hand you would be using. WEAVE THE RING – 10 steps.
9. Left/Right Hand Star: Indicated dancers step to the center of the formation to join the designated hand in a loose star; walk forward to starting position of next call. It is often a full turn but can be fractionalized. LEFT/ RIGHT HAND STAR – 4 dancers full around 8 steps.
10. Pass Thru: With person you are facing step ahead passing right shoulders. STOP as soon as you pass by. End back to back. Same as 1/2 DOSADO. PASS THRU – 2 steps.
11 c. Ladies In Men Sashay: In any circle of boy/girl couples with the boy on the left and girl on the right circling left, the girls step forward, the boys step to their left and the girls step back to a new empty place. If the dancers are circling right, it is the opposite. Can also be done from a line. For variety, the call can be Men In Ladies Sashay. LADIES IN MEN SASHAY – 4 steps.
18. Lead Right: Directed couples (Heads, Sides), with a couple handhold, will walk forward as a couple to face the couple to the right. LEAD RIGHT – 4 steps.
19. Veer Left/Right: Moving as a couple, slide left or right as directed, maintaining facing direction with a small forward motion as well. VEER LEFT/RIGHT – 2 steps.
20. Bend The Line: Couples, as a unit, turn 90 degrees to face center. Like folding a piece of paper. Each end moves forward to meet the other end. The centers need to back up a little to accommodate. This creates new lines facing in. As a couple, you will ALWAYS be facing the other couple that was in your line. BEND THE LINE – 4 steps.
21. Circulate Family:
21. b. Couples Circulate: As a couple move to the next couples place in the square; if you are looking at someone’s back step straight ahead; if you are looking out of the square as a couple move around the corner to the place of the next couple. COUPLES CIRCULATE – 4 steps.
I. Emergency call: If someone should fall down in your square, immediately have the other seven dancers join hands stretch out to as big a circle as you can and raise your joined hands as high as you can. This will signal the club officers and the caller that something happened.
J. Lost squares: All squares will occasionally break down. The causes can be numerous. A few examples are not hearing the caller, talking in the square, forgetting how to do a call, dancing above your ability, losing your concentration and focus. When your square breaks down, make lines of four facing. This is a sign for the caller. Try to do this in 4 or 5 beats of music. The caller will signal an opportunity to rejoin the dancing with “Lines of four, up to the middle and back,” or an equivalent.