Definitions of Square Dance Calls and Concepts -- Jay Concept [C3A]

From a Generalized 1/4 Tag or other applicable formations. EN: 10

Work in a Distorted Box with the dancers with whom you would normally Jay Walk. At the end of the call re-establish the footprints of those four positions. EN: 20

Jay Left Wheel Thru:


before Jay Left Wheel Thru		after

A Jay can be denoted by a given direction, that direction being relative to the dancers in the Center Line. In identifying the Jay, the facing direction of the Outside dancers doesn't matter. EN: 70

(Front) Jay:

Center dancers work with the Outside dancers that are in front of them. EN: 80

Back Jay:

Center dancers work with the Outside dancers that are behind them. EN: 90

Right | Left Jay:

Center dancers work with the Outside dancers that are to their Right | Left. EN: 100

(Front) Jay

Back Jay

Right Jay

Note: Jays can pop up in other formations (such as an "H"). Also, two dancers who are offset can do 2-dancer Jay calls (such as Jay Touch 1/4). EN: 110

Back Jay Shakedown:


before Back Jay Shakedown		after

Left Jay Partner Tag:


before Left Jay Partner Tag		after

Historically, Jays were denoted as follows: EN: 30

(Facing) Jay:

Dancers within each distorted Box are facing In (toward the Center of the Box) and are facing each other. This is the default Jay. EN: 40

Back-to-Back Jay:

Dancers within each distorted Box are facing Out (away from the Center of the Box) and are Back-to-Back with each other. EN: 50

Front-to-Back Jay:

Dancers are Front-to-Back within each distorted Box, with some dancers as Leaders and some dancers as Trailers facing the Leader's back. EN: 60

Facing (normal) Jay

Front-to-Back Jay

Back-to-Back Jay

Hint: for complicated calls, check the orientation of your Jay with respect to the room before you start moving. For example, you could remember the wall toward which your Jay is offset. We usually memorize our Jay by remembering (1) whether the Centers are in a Two-Faced Line or a Wave and (2) which End position (of the Center Line) is a part of our Jay. EN: 120

Occasionally, a caller may call a Shape-changing call from a Jay. EN: 130


before Jay Pass The Ocean		after

On a shape-changing call (usually from a Box to a Line or Wave), the idea is to maintain the center point between the pairs of dancers. In the above example, dancers

and

finish such that their center point is the original center point between dancers

and

. Similarly, dancers

and

finish such that their center point is the original center point between dancers

and

(which just happens to be the original starting position of dancer

). EN: 135

Change Jays [NOL]:

After doing a Jay call, work with the other Jay positions (Outsides work with the other Center positions, and Centers work with the other Outside positions). EN: 333

Same Jay [NOL]:

After doing a Jay call, do the next call working with the same dancers in the same Distorted Box. EN: 334