< Main Definitions

Mainstream Definitions

From Tech Squares Class MIT

Click on the title to see a video demonstration of the call

ALL 8 SPIN THE TOP (plus): Typical starting formation - dancers facing their partners. All dancers right arm turn 1/2 (stepping to a mini-wave if necessary), and the center 4 star 3/4 while the others move up in a 90° arc around the outside. Ends in a thar.

EXPLODE THE WAVE (plus): Typical starting formation - wave. Dancers step thru, face in, and right pull by. Ends in couples back to back.

EXPLODE AND (ANYTHING) (plus): Typical starting formation - wave. Dancers step thru, face in, and do the anything call.

LINEAR CYCLE: Typical starting formation - wave. Dancers hinge, and leaders (original centers) fold behind the others. All double pass thru (left if the waves were left-handed), and peel off in the direction of the shoulder pass. Ends in facing couples.

PEEL OFF (plus): Typical starting formation - tandem couples or mini-wave box. Dancers 1/2 zoom and the original trailers U-turn back away from the center of the box. Each tandem ends as a couple with the original trailer as the center.

RELAY THE DEUCEY (plus): Typical starting formation - parallel waves.

  1. Arm turn 1/2.
  2. Center 4 arm turn 3/4 while the ends 1/2 circulate.
  3. Center wave of 6 arm turn 1/2.
  4. Center wave of 4 arm turn 1/2 while the other 4 circulate to the next outside position.
  5. Center wave of 6 arm turn 1/2.
  6. Center wave of 4 arm turn 3/4 while the other 4 move up (to the ends of waves).
Ends in waves.

COORDINATE (plus): Typical starting formation - columns.

  1. Circulate.
  2. 1/2 circulate.
  3. Center 6 trade.
  4. Very centers move forward and apart to be ends of lines while the very ends move up turning 90° to be ends of lines.
Ends in two-faced lines.

CUT THE DIAMOND (plus): Typical starting formation - diamond. Points of the diamond slide together without turning and trade while the centers diamond circulate. Ends in a wave or line.

FOLLOW YOUR NEIGHBOR (plus): Typical starting formation - mini-wave box. Trailers extend and arm turn 3/4, while the leaders 1/2 split circulate and U-turn back in flow direction. Ends in a wave.

(ANYTHING) AND ROLL (plus): Typical starting formation - various formations. Dancers perform the (anything) call, and dancers who turned as part of their last movement in the call continue turning 90° in place. Dancers whose last movement did not involve turning do not turn.

SPIN CHAIN AND EXCHANGE THE GEARS (plus): Typical starting formation - waves.

  1. Arm turn 1/2.
  2. Centers arm turn 3/4 while ends U-turn back inward to form a star.
  3. Very centers arm turn 1/2.
  4. Each star of 4 turns 3/4.
  5. Very centers walk out around the other star, while the others follow them, turning their own star until they are in very center position when they walk around the other star. When the first dancer has walked 3/4 of the way around the other star, they flip inward to become the lead center, and take hands with the second dancer, who becomes the trailing end. The third dancer flips in to become the trailing center, and the fourth dancer walks up to be the lead end.
Ends in waves.

TRADE THE WAVE (plus): Typical starting formation - wave. Dancers trade with the other dancer in their wave facing the same direction. Ends in a wave of the opposite handedness.