Instructions

This is a program that simulates square dance calls for a 6 couple rectangle. This was inspired by the Taminations sequencer. You can get the definitions for Mainstream square dance calls at Taminations mainstream list.

Quick Start

If the instructions are hard to see, resize the window to be short and wide. On a phone turn it to the landscape view.

To get started type the bold abbreviations (one line at a time) in the 'Enter Calls' textbox.

• h pto (Heads Pass The Ocean)
• ex (Extend)
• st (Swing Thru)
• br (Boys Run)
• fw (Ferris Wheel)
• c sq3 (Centers Square thru 3)

Notice each time you type a call it shows the end formation. It also shows the beginning formation in the 'Previous floor' area. When the square is resolved it will chirp, and also display a notification.

You can use the up and down arrow keys or click on entries in the 'Call History' area to review previous calls. The left and right arrow keys jump to the first or last call in the call history.

At any time you can type Ctrl-S (Save) to remember the currently displayed floor in the 'Saved floor' area. You can also double click on any call in the call history to save the floor after that call.

You can clear the call history with the reset (or Ctrl-R) button and undo the last call with the undo (or Ctrl-Z) button. You can also practice remembering dancers by using the 'hide' button to give each dancer a random color. Resetting the square does NOT change the colors, but hitting the 'hide' button when there are no calls WILL change the colors.

More Details on Usage

• Calls are given very short abbreviations that are mostly the first letter of each word in the call (exception below). When using the first letter of of each word would be ambiguous (e.g st is Swing Thru or Square Thru), we either use the next letter (e.g Extend = ex) or the LAST consonant (e.g. StaR Thru = srt).
• One word calls typically have the first syllable. (e.g. recycle = rec)
• Dancer Designators are all one letter, and separated from the call by space (h=heads, s=sides, c=centers, e=ends, v = very centers)
• Calls Available:
• Couples circulate is the same as circulate so we don't have that call.
• Typically you must explicitly call step to a wave (stw) from facing couples (st is an exception).
l
• You can paste multiple commands (separated by space or a ;) into textbox.

New/Changed Calls

There are a few calls that are either new, or need an explanation for dancers to be successful. You are encouraged to try these out in the simulator to confirm you understand what they do.

• Wheel and Deal (whd) - When called from lines facing out, there are three couples facing out. The outside two couples do what they would normally do, the very center couple does a partner trade (and become the very centers of the triple pass through formation).
• First Couple go Left Next Right (flnr) - This starts in a completed triple pass through formation and again the first two couples do what they would have done in a 4 couple square. The last couple does a partner trade, and together they all form a line facing in.
• Bend the line - When there are 2 rows of 6 dancers facing, you can bend the line but the simulator currently does not support it because the flow is so bad. However bending a line of 6 facing out does flow well, and so this is supported. Bending from two faced lines of 4 also is legal and supported.
• Triple Pass Thru (tpt) - This works just like double pass through, however you pass 3 people and end in a completed triple pass through (facing out or someone's back).
• Centers and Very Centers (c and v) - Ends or outsides work as before. However There are now 4 couples that are in the center not just 2. However it is useful to have only the most central 2 couples do something, and they are referred to as the 'very centers'.
• Stretch Ferris Wheel - normal Ferris Wheel works and is supported, but it is useful to be able to form triple pass through formation (after all, in a 4 couple square a Ferris Wheel makes a double pass through formation). To achieve this, we ask the dancers facing in to not Wheel And Deal with the first couple they meet but the second.

Modules Work on 6 Couple Squares

It is surprising (at least to me), that MOST square dance figures that work in 4 couple squares also work in 6 couple squares. The main caveats

• Promenade 1/2 is NOT equivalent to a Heads Right and Left Thru. The problem is that a promenade swaps the head dancer couples left-right as well as front-back. If you substituted a Heads Right and Left Thru for the Promenade 1/2 the figure would likely work.

  Note that figures that get you 'across the street', still all work (they are equivalent to a Heads Right and Left Thru) Thus things like Heads Square Thru 2, Heads Pass the Ocean, Extend, or the use a 1/2 chicken plucker (RLT-PT-TB), all work.

• Anything that creates 4 groups of 3, rather than 3 groups of 4 is not likely to work without modification. This includes bending a line of 6 as well as anything dealing with a triple pass through formations. Thus things that will need modification include
  • Tag the Line
  • Cloverleaf
  • Wheel and Deal (facing out, 2-faced is OK)
  • Bend the Line (of 6, 4 is OK)
  Note that figures that form triple pass through formation can often be fixed simply by adding a extra Zoom. For example the zero
  • PT, WHD, TPT, FLNR
  works in a 4 couple square but NOT a 6 couple square, but adding a zoom makes it a zero for a 6 couple square.
  • PT, WHD, ZOOM, TPT, FLNR

In short, probably most of your most popular figures 'just work'. This means that you can call a six couple square immediately (just stick with modules you know work).

Resolving

Resolving a 6 couple square is not much harder than a 4 couple square. The hardest part is that you have to remember 3 couples (not just 2) to know what to do. Any three in a row will work, but for the sake of discussion, we will assume that the three couples are the side couple #6 and the couples on either side (#5 and #1). In general you have to remember all 6 of these people to resolve. The general technique for resolution is as follows

• Get your focus couple coupled up - You can do this many ways one way si to get to ocean waves and then use all-8 circulate one gender circulates to match them up.
• Get that couple to lines of 6 facing in - (recycle bend the line will do it)
• Call Wheel and Deal - this makes a triple pass through formation.
• Get your focus couple to the ENDS position - call Zoom enough times to do this.

You have now resolved the ends (your focus couple). However importantly because you are in a triple pass thru configuration you can operate on JUST 2 couples (the very centers) or 4 couples (the centers) without disturbing what you have already resolved. This is the key to the resolution technique. The next step is to get all the 'neighbors' (couple #1 and #5) of your focus couple (#6) next to that focus couple. The operations you have are

• Very Centers FlutterWheel- Look at the two pairs of dancers in the very center. Either they BOTH go to one side or there is a mix (one needs to go to one side and the other needs to go in the opposite direction). In this later case, use Very Centers FlutterWheel to fix it so that each couple on one side of the very centers both need to go in the same direction.
• Very Centers Pass thru or Square thru 3 - Once the very centers need to go the same way, you use either a Very Centers Pass Thru or a Very Centers Square Thru 3 to get them on the correct side facing the other center couple.

As this point the OTHER center couple might contain dancers that are on the wrong side. if This happens, then you need to do a Centers Pass To the Center. This bring these outside centers to the very center. You can the repeat the process of using FL, RFL, and V PT or V SQ3 to get these dancers to the correct side.

Now that have all the neighbors of your focus couple near your focus couple you are almost there. The procedure from here works EXACTLY like in the 4 couple case. There are two cases.

• The all dancers are paired up - in this case do a Centers Pass Thru, Veer Left, and Bend the Line. This forms lines of couple up dancers. Then just like in 4 couple resolution, you can either do a Star Thru, Square Thru 3 or a Star Thru, Pass Thru to complete the resolution.
• The neighbor dancers are mixed - this work JUST LIKE 4 couple resolution. Either a Centers Pass Thru or a Centers Square Thru 3 will resolve the square.

There are many variations on this basic theme as well as shortcuts etc. For example you can use Stretch Ferris Wheel instead of Wheel and Deal to get to the triple pass through formation. There are plenty of alternatives to FlutterWheel which swap dancers in a box. These could be used instead. There are many such variations. The key insight however, is that 'very centers' and 'centers' let you fix the inner part of the square without disturbing the ends. The other important insight is that it is enough to get the neighbors of your focus couple to the correct half of the square. The rest works like 4 couple resolution.

You will quickly find that the hardest part of resolving a 6 couple square is remembering where the dancer's home position is. To help in practicing this you can press the 'hide' button which removes the numbers an consistent coloring of the dancers. Instead they are given random colors. You will find it much more difficult to resolve under these conditions (which mimic real world conditions better). If you forget dancers belong you can 'peek' by clicking the 'identify' button and again to go back. You can also hit the left arrow to see the first position of the square (which tells you where home is) and then it the right arrow key to go back. When you wish to get a new set of colors to try, you need only hit the 'hide' key when the dancers are reset. Thus you can keep hitting 'hide' if on a reset square to keep getting new sets of colors.

Singing Calls (Corner Progression)

You can even do singing calls with corner progression with 6 couples. The following modifications are needed.

• You will need 6 figures instead of 4 to get all the way around. Thus you need sacrifice your closer and middle-bridge and use them for figures (thus you only have an opener). Thus you need to pick music that is uniform for all 7 parts of the dance.
• Singing call figures have a promenade at the end which is now LONGER, so choose SHORT figures.
• In your opener, try to call the first Allemande Left early to cut the amount of Circle-Left time you do. This will make up for some of the extra time that will be needed to do the weave the ring and promenade.
• Surprisingly, you can do a grand square in 6 couple squares. The key is that the 'very center heads' have to turn AWAY form the center of the square which is OPPOSITE what they are used to. They end up being in TANDEM with their partner as the do the move, which is what makes it all work. It is definitely something you want to have your dancers practice first. The grand-square takes the same amount of time, however you will need more time for the promenade, so it is OK that dancers go fast on this one.