Squared Set, Infacing Circle Of 2 or more dancers, Facing Couples
Squared Set,Infacing Circle Of 8
Circle Left
Circle to the Left
Join Hands, Circle Left
Circle Right, The Other Way Back
(while circling left) Reverse, and Circle Right the other way back
Circle
Infacing Circle Of 8. On the command "Stop At Home", the ending formation is a Squared Set.
Same as starting formation, except a Circle of 8 dancers may end at home in a Squared Set.
¼: 4, ½: 8, ¾: 12, Full: 16
8-dancer Circle – 1/4: 4; 1/2: 8; 3/4: 12; Full: 16
4-dancer Circle – 1/4: 2; 1/2: 4; 3/4: 6; Full: 8
As dancers join hands (couple handhold) to form a circle, they face slightly left or right as directed. All dancers walk forward with joined hands, elbows bent comfortably so that hands are above the elbow.
Couple handhold in circles: In circles with alternating men and women, men's palms are up and women's palms are down. In other circles (e.g., BBGG), everyone has the right-hand palm up and the left-hand palm down.
Some regions dance 8-dancer circles with a walking step with no turning motion of the body. Other regions dance 8-dancer circles with a grapevine step, with the body and arms turning left and right, in synchrony with this step, allowing the dancers to make eye contact with their Corners and Partners successively.
As dancers join hands (couples handhold) to form a circle, they face slightly left or right as directed. All dancers walk forward with joined hands, elbows bent comfortably so that hands are above the elbow. In a circle of alternating men and women, men’s palms are up and women’s palms are down. In a circle where same genders are adjacent, right palms are up and left palms are down.
Circle Left 1/2 Way
Circle Four, 1/2 Way Around
Circle Right 3/4
In Groups of 4, Circle Left 3/4 of the Way Around
Join 2 Hands And Circle Left Halfway
Make Circles of 2 and Circle Left Halfway
With the person in front of you circle 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, or full around
Allemande Left; Dosado; with your Partner Circle 1/2 and Star Thru
Head Ladies Step Into The Center and Circle 1/2 With Each Other
With the one you face, join both hands and circle 1/2, 3/4 or full around
While the concept of circling with 2 or more dancers is part of the Mainstream program, there is no well established terminology. Callers wanting circles of 2 dancers must use terminology familiar to their dancers.
Some callers use the phrase "Single Circle" for circles of 2 dancers (e.g., Single Circle ¾ to A Star Thru). The phrase "Single Circle" is not explicitly listed and taught at Mainstream so this usage may cause communication problems. In addition, the phrase "Single Circle" is very similar to the call "Single Circle To A Wave" which is part of another dance program. Some callers feel that the use of the term "Single Circle" at Mainstream is improper.
© Copyright 1994, 2000-2017 by CALLERLAB Inc., The International Association of Square Dance Callers. Permission to reprint, republish, and create derivative works without royalty is hereby granted, provided this notice appears. Publication on the Internet of derivative works without royalty is hereby granted provided this notice appears. Permission to quote parts or all of this document without royalty is hereby granted, provided this notice is included. Information contained herein shall not be changed nor revised in any derivation or publication.
The command "Circle", without a direction, is a shorthand for Circle Left. It is mainly used in Singing Calls when required by the timing of the lyrics.
When circling, "Reverse" or "Go The Other Way" can be used to tell the dancers to stop and circle in the other direction. It is usually followed with a "Circle Right (or Left)".