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Asymmetric Resolve Techniques
These techniques are really only useful for writing cards or
for sight resolving a very small number of squares, perhaps only one or two.
If your intent is to recover from dancer errors with more than one square,
you may have to say something like "in this square only . . ."
To resolve a randomly asymmetric square, it will be necessary to memorize,
or write down, the original squared set home position for at least 6 dancers.
(The 2 dancers not being memorized should be opposite gender)
Minor Fixes
A Boy and Girl are Switched
This is easy to fix since you can use calls that normalize the arrangement
to bring dancers to known positions in the formation.
Call to get the switched dancers together.
Depending on how many tricks you have available to you,
you can get these dancers together in a number of ways. (see below)
While doing this, you must avoid using any gender dependent calls,
otherwise you'll probably end up switching one of these dancers with someone else.
To insure things don't get worse, you should try to keep as much of the floor as
possible dancing in "standard positions" ('0' gender arrangement).
Opposite-gender Switched Dancers Together As A Couple
Call to bring the switched dancers together as a sashayed couple (everyone else
should be in normal couples) in Facing Lines.
Then call...
- Right And Left Thru and say "standard lines dance up to the middle and back".
Dancers at Mainstream and Plus who are used to dancing "Standard Applications"
are probably already have a hunch that something is wrong and will usually fix it right away.
Note This method makes the dancers aware of the fact they made a mistake.
Other methods (explained below) can more subtly fix errors in ways the dancers may not notice.
- Pass The Ocean Boys-Run
- "couples facing out"-Partner Trade
- (pause for flow) Bend The Line
- (Advanced or above) Half Breed Through.
- (Advanced or above) Pass The Sea Girls-Run (pause for flow) Bend The Line
Opposite-gender Switched Dancers Together In A Wave
Call to bring the switched dancers together at one end of a R-H wave,
then call: Boys-Run, then...
- (pause for flow) Bend The Line
- "couples facing out"-Partner Traade
Opposite-gender Switched Dancers Facing Each Other
Call to get facing couples ([L] or [B])
with the switched dancers facing each other, call...
- Star Thru "the couple facing out (of your box)"-California Twirl
- Touch 1/4 Boys-Run "the couple facing out (of your box)"-Partner Trade
- "if you feel like you are sashayed" Box The Gnat with the
dancer across from you that feels the same way" ... All - Right And Left Thru
Two Same-gender Dancers are Switched
- Call to [P] (DPT formation) and say something like
"near box, have the boys/girls only Zoom."
- Put the swapped dancers in the center of a wave and
call to that wave Centers Trade.
Key Couples Become Opposites
This is the typical sort of asymmetry you would get if the wrong couple
went in front on a Wheel And Deal.
- Get to [P] (DPT formation) and call:
"column/box of dancers closest to the caller"-Zoom
If you feel that having only half of the couples Zoom
would be too difficult, you could alternatively call: Double Pass Thru Cloverleaf
"have only the box of dancers nearest the caller Zoom"
then call: Double Pass Thru Cloverleaf again
and everyone is roughly paired as they were originally.
- Get to [W] (parallel R-H waves).
If the waves are oriented so that everyone is facing head walls,
call: "Have the wave nearest the caller Spin The Top then
Swing Thru while the wave farthest from the caller
Swing Thru then Spin The Top."
Ending formation is [TW] (R-H tidal wave).
If those original waves were oriented so that everyone was facing side walls,
you could say something like "the wave nearest the kitchen (or other landmark) . . ."
Or you could call the following module that will rotate the formation
90 degrees without affecting anything else,
then call "near wave . . ." as above.
Handy Module: Rotate Parallel Waves 90 Deg
FASR preserved
R-H waves rotated C.W. L-H waves rotated C.C.W.
Single Hinge Centers Trade Split Circulate Centers Trade
- or -
Split Circulate Centers Trade Single Hinge Centers Trade
- or -
Centers Trade Single Hinge Centers Trade Split Circulate
- or -
Centers Trade Split Circulate Centers Trade Single Hinge
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Complete Recovery Methods
These techniques are for resolving that hopeless square with multiple mistakes
(just for the fun of it!) -or- for sight resolving after calling
truly asymmetric choreography.
Same-gender Waves
To sight call using this method, you will need to know
who is dancing at all 4 of the heads or sides positions
and who is dancing all 4 of the girls or boys parts.
(6 dancers minimum)
Known Formation
First off, get a formation that you can work with.
Get them out of Diamonds, etc. into some kind of general line and call
Tag The Line Face In
Girls Together, Boys Together
Call whatever it takes to get all the boys in one half of the square and all the girls in the other half.
Example: (after Pass The Ocean)
"Have the boy nearest the water cooler and the adjacent girl Trade by the Right"
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Tip -- Avoid using any person's name or identifying characteristic
at all costs unless you know them extremely well!
Many people have deep rooted insecurities, and as a caller, you
may be perceived as an authority broadcasting a weakness or
inadequacy to that dancer's friends.
I've heard reports of people leaving square dancing
because the caller used their name over the mic. |
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R-H Waves - Same gender
Get R-H waves - all boys in one wave, and all girls in the other.
Head / Side Symmetry
Now call to each wave individually if necessary to get heads together at
diagonal opposite ends of the two waves.
H> S>
H>
(at Advanced only) An easy way to do this might be to get
Heads (or Sides) together in the center in both waves then call
Out Roll Circulate.
Now call: All 8 Circulate Boys-Run (right)
All dancers are facing the same direction.
If they happen to end facing away from you,
call Partner Trade.
(Say "howdy!")
You might have them bow to an audience if you have one.
Last step: Bend The Line.
The square is symmetric! - Resolve normally.
Summery
- From a complete mess, get some kind of wave or line (3-1, etc.) then Tag The Line Face In
- Call (selectively on ly if necessary) to get all girls in one half of the square, boys in the other
- Get everyone into R-H waves, all girls in one wave, boys in the other
- Get heads at the end and adjacent center positions in both waves, diagonally opposite each other across the square.
- Call All 8 Circulate Boys-Run (say "hi!")
- Call Bend The Line - square is symmetric
- Resolve normally
How does this work?
Since heads and sides where opposite each other across the square,
All 8 Circulate puts head boys with head girls and side boys with side girls.
Boys-Run makes normal gender couples.
(You could accomplish the same thing using L-H waves, but you would need to call
Girls-Run (left) to get normal gender couples)
All dancers will be facing the same wall.
From here, Bend The Line makes facing lines with symmetric arrangement
which then makes the whole square symmetric.
Credits
Getting boys together and girls together to do asymmetric resolve -- Rob French
Getting head/side symmetry, and using In Roll Circulate to achieve it -- Dave Wilson
See more of my site! - click here
Richard Reel Hayward California USA