The idea that Twosomes belongs at a lower level than C3B so that the
Once Removed concept can be better used by the dancers requires a look
at some of the problems that are associated with the Once Removed
concept and how the Twosome concept works or doesn't work with the Once
Removed concept.

There are many dancing difficulties associated with the Once Removed
concept:

    It is versatile - extremely so and this puts a lot of stress on many
    dancers.

    Many Once Removed situations are ambiguous in that there may be more
    than one way to dance the call. There must be one and only one way
    to dance any concept/call.

    Multiple solution calls include but are not limited to the
    following:

        Once Removed Pass the Ocean from beginning double pass thru
        Once Removed Square Chain Thru 3 To A Wave from facing lines
        Once Removed Beau Hop from beginning double pass thru

    The definition for the Once Removed concept is so sparse as to be
    unusable by a dancer in the heat of battle. There must be a
    consistent set of rules (even if large). For example, where is it
    documented clearly that the Once Removed concept goes away when the
    formation axis changes?

    Strategies for dancing Once Removed calls should be documented.
    There are currently none (to my knowledge). Dancers need these
    badly. Maybe some callers do too.

    Some restraints should be added as to which Once Removed calls may
    be called as part of what lists. For example, there has been some
    discussion about whether or not Once Removed Diamonds belongs on the
    C3A list, or any list. And if they are not on any list, they default
    to the C2 list because that list includes the Once Removed concept
    and you sure can do Once Removed Diamonds within the concept and we
    have at C2 dances.

    Maybe some Once Removed calls should be banned because of:

       ambiguity
       difficulty
       poor flow, e.g., dancers must back up

Dancers must know what calls to take out and which not to take out. If
they take the calls out, they must know how to take out the call and how
to restore the Once Removedness of the formation when the call is done.

How many Once Removed calls break down because everyone in the square is
using a different method to dance the call. Some use Twosomes, some take
it out and some don't take it out.

Unfortunately, very few dancers can see who is a member of their Once
Removed group when the call starts or remember who that group contained
at the end of the call. They also have trouble remembering the group
offset. Seeing the offset is particularly difficult for those in the
very center 4 spots of a tidal formation.

The point of all this is that this concept can be very easy to do or
incredibly difficult.

The existing documentation about the Once Removed concept is far from
adequate to handle the many Once Removed situations that are being
called today. The strategies for dancing Once Removed from Lines/Waves
and Columns is different from Tidal Formations which is different from
Diamonds. And the strategy may be call-dependent within any of the 4
Once Removed groups. There are strategies that are formation dependent
and strategies which are call dependent. There are calls that when done
from a given formation can be done using three or four different
strategies.

What is a dancer to do?

It seems that a large gulf exists between what is taught about Once
Removed in lessons and what the dancer encounters on the dance floor.
The typical lesson about Once Removed is sandwiched in among several
other calls and concepts during lessons. Written documentation about
Once Removed is skimpy at best. Both lessons and documentation do not
reflect the reality about Once Removed as it is used on the dance floor.
And the callers and dancers don't always agree.

There have been comments on the Challenge-SD forum suggesting that the
Once Removed concept be moved to the C3B list and that the Twosome
concept be moved to the C2 list to help handle the Once Removed concept.

I am not in favor of either of these. Many C3A and C3B dancers have
problems with the Once Removed for the reasons mentioned above. Twosomes
is a difficult concept. While Twosome-like movements may be the best way
to do some Once Removed, often those which start in as-couples formation
(like Peel Off from two-faced lines).

Twosome is a demanding concept in its own right. The Twosome-like
movements found in some Once Removed situations are just that -- they
are individual dancer movements that mimic Twosomes without being
Twosomes.

There are other ways to look at as-couples Swing movements in Once
Removed situations which work just as well as Twosomes and do not
require that the entire Twosome concept be taught. I am referring to
using Half Tag and Follow Thru (or Turn and Deal and Veer) to accomplish
the as-couples Swing movement. This method also works very well in many
Once Removed from Diamonds situations.

It seems a little silly (as someone remorked on this forum last year) to
have to learn a C3B concept to do a C2 concept.

This material is excerpted from the Once Removed Dance Strategies paper
which will appear on my web site (http://coyoungjr.home.att.net) in a
week or so.


Charles Young