19 September 2010
Samena Newsletter #2
09/24/2010
Welcome to all of you, especially those of you new to class this week!
Since we have a few new class members this week, I will repeat some of my notes from last week. After each class I will be sending an email newsletter. I will include a brief summary definition of the calls that we learned new that night. I will also list the calls that I expect to teach the following week. In a couple of weeks, you will receive a book with complete definitions as well as pictures and diagrams.
Everyone learns in different ways. If you learn by reading, you will find the books and definitions helpful. If you learn by watching, listening, or doing, you may find reading the books ahead of where we are confusing. Don’t do it! Wait until you have learned the call. Use the list I send as a way to refresh your memory before coming to class the following week.
Square dancing is an American folk 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.
Square dancing is one of the best all around activities available today. It provides the mental challenge of listening and remembering calls; the physical challenge of executing the calls in time to the music (one step for one beat); the social challenge of working together cooperatively (a square of eight dancers is really a team) and meeting new people.
Below you will find the definitions of the calls you danced in class, followed by a list of the new calls that I expect to teach next week. Don’t be afraid! I will review all of the calls that we danced Thursday night.
My intention is to get these notes to you earlier in the week. This week was busy with a long weekend square dance trip to Winthrop. It was so fun! You will be hearing more about it and there will be pictures too.
Don’t forget that this week is the last open enrollment week. Feel free to bring friends, family, co-workers, etc. to class.
Happy dancing,
Susan
Week #2:
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 & RIGHT – 8 dancers full around, 16 steps; 4 dancers full around, 8 steps.
2 a. Forward & Back: Join hands in a line and move forward 1 step, touch and move back 1 step. FORWARD & BACK – 4 steps.
2 b. 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. Promenade: 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.
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.
7. Arm Turns: Turn designated dancer by the indicated arm to next call; let go. The turn is 180 to 360 degrees. ARM TURNS – same as ALLEMANDE LEFT.
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. Right/Left 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. RIGHT/LEFT 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.
15. Courtesy Turn: Girls (or right hand dancer) sticks out left hand in front palm down, places right hand in small of back, palm out; Boys (or left hand dancer) offers left hand palm up to girl, place right hand on her right hand; gently guide her forward, while backing up, turning as a couple to face opposite direction or the center of the set. COURTESY TURN – 4 steps.
16. Ladies Chain Family:
16 a. Two & Four Ladies Chain: Two (or four) girls step toward the center to make a right hand star; turn 1/2 way; offer left hand to opposite boy for a COURTESY TURN; end as couple facing center of formation. While girls are staring the boys take a step to their right to be in correct position for COURTESY TURN. TWO & FOUR LADIES CHAIN – 8 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.
23. Grand Square: (32 beats of music) Each individual dancer tracks the four sides of a square in their quadrant on the floor. Command is “Sides Face, Grand Square.” GRAND SQUARE – 32 steps.
Next week: California Twirl, Star Thru, Dive Thru
Since we have a few new class members this week, I will repeat some of my notes from last week. After each class I will be sending an email newsletter. I will include a brief summary definition of the calls that we learned new that night. I will also list the calls that I expect to teach the following week. In a couple of weeks, you will receive a book with complete definitions as well as pictures and diagrams.
Everyone learns in different ways. If you learn by reading, you will find the books and definitions helpful. If you learn by watching, listening, or doing, you may find reading the books ahead of where we are confusing. Don’t do it! Wait until you have learned the call. Use the list I send as a way to refresh your memory before coming to class the following week.
Square dancing is an American folk 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.
Square dancing is one of the best all around activities available today. It provides the mental challenge of listening and remembering calls; the physical challenge of executing the calls in time to the music (one step for one beat); the social challenge of working together cooperatively (a square of eight dancers is really a team) and meeting new people.
Below you will find the definitions of the calls you danced in class, followed by a list of the new calls that I expect to teach next week. Don’t be afraid! I will review all of the calls that we danced Thursday night.
My intention is to get these notes to you earlier in the week. This week was busy with a long weekend square dance trip to Winthrop. It was so fun! You will be hearing more about it and there will be pictures too.
Don’t forget that this week is the last open enrollment week. Feel free to bring friends, family, co-workers, etc. to class.
Happy dancing,
Susan
Week #2:
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 & RIGHT – 8 dancers full around, 16 steps; 4 dancers full around, 8 steps.
2 a. Forward & Back: Join hands in a line and move forward 1 step, touch and move back 1 step. FORWARD & BACK – 4 steps.
2 b. 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. Promenade: 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.
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.
7. Arm Turns: Turn designated dancer by the indicated arm to next call; let go. The turn is 180 to 360 degrees. ARM TURNS – same as ALLEMANDE LEFT.
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. Right/Left 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. RIGHT/LEFT 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.
15. Courtesy Turn: Girls (or right hand dancer) sticks out left hand in front palm down, places right hand in small of back, palm out; Boys (or left hand dancer) offers left hand palm up to girl, place right hand on her right hand; gently guide her forward, while backing up, turning as a couple to face opposite direction or the center of the set. COURTESY TURN – 4 steps.
16. Ladies Chain Family:
16 a. Two & Four Ladies Chain: Two (or four) girls step toward the center to make a right hand star; turn 1/2 way; offer left hand to opposite boy for a COURTESY TURN; end as couple facing center of formation. While girls are staring the boys take a step to their right to be in correct position for COURTESY TURN. TWO & FOUR LADIES CHAIN – 8 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.
23. Grand Square: (32 beats of music) Each individual dancer tracks the four sides of a square in their quadrant on the floor. Command is “Sides Face, Grand Square.” GRAND SQUARE – 32 steps.
Next week: California Twirl, Star Thru, Dive Thru