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The simple explanation of how we dance is:
| SQUARES: |
Four couples stand in a square formation facing inwards.
(Your Partner is standing beside you)
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| CONTRAS: |
Any number of couples stand in two lines facing each other.
(sometimes your partner is beside you, sometimes in the opposite line) |
Within these formations, while dancing, other smaller formations are made
such as circles, stars, lines and waves.
THAT'S IT.
If you're the type to analyse further then browse on and you'll find
explanations accompanied by diagrams.
Squares
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It's just a formation
A square formation consisting of four couples.
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| If you look at our square on the right you'll see that each
couple has a number. Men are the squares, ladies the circles and the dots,
their noses, to show the way they are facing. No. 1 and 3 couples are also known as
Heads or Head couples.
No. 2
and 4 are Sides or Side couples.
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No. 1 couple always stand with their back to the caller. The
ladies very often change partners but the men always retain their original
couple number.
Its the callers job to get all the ladies back to their original partners.
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Contra Dancing
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It's just a formation
Contra means opposite
Two lines of dancers opposite each other
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That good old traditional dance, the Virginia
Reel, is a contra. It's merely the name of the formation. Most people have
danced it, when they were young, maybe later, but whether you have danced
country Dance, Barn dance or Folk Dance it is always there as one of the
original traditional dances. If you pace yourself i.e. dance to the phrase
of the music, contra dances are not hectic. If you dance too quickly/ahead
of the music you only find you keep stopping which is more tiring.
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| If you like studying diagrams see the ones on the right
Square symbols are men, circles are ladies. The dots
(noses), show which way they are facing.
With the exception of two or three movements
peculiar to Contra, all other movements are Square Dance ones.
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How we Dance
The Caller will explain what he/she wants the dancers to do and will then
have the help of experienced dancers to demonstrate those movements. Each
of the movements has a definition of where you should stand in relation to other
dancers. You will find the Caller explaining this definition in more than one
way.
Some of us easily absorb verbal instruction (without action) and some of us like
to see the action (demonstration).
At first it is a combination of both for everyone . As you gain experience
so less needs to be demonstrated.
So This is What we Dance
When we start to dance we all learn in slightly different ways and at
different paces.
This page describes the set-ups of the first (basic) formations.
I've included some description and some diagrams. You aren't expected to memorise anything here, just to browse
and get an idea about it.
However,
there is no definition for SMILING
Be warned that if you don't, the Caller will remind you.
Demostration
Note: The caller is giving you cues on the movements and most of the time, advice on where you need
to be. Easy? Smile then,
you've just been shown how to.
Finally
No, not another formation, but just to say that one of the great things about
Square Dancing is that you are not asked to remember lots of
routines/figures. You learn the individual movements, the caller puts them
together and tells you, as you dance, what he wants you to do next. You
will find the caller putting some movements together and repeating them so you
will find in some dances you'll remember what you did previously. What
could be simpler? Having it all explained and being reminded as you dance along.
Can't wait to start?
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In Step with the World of Dance |
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last updated - 12th September 2016
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