Asymmetric Resolve Techniques

These techniques are 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 . . ."

Minor Fixing

A Boy and Girl get Switched

Call to get the switched dancers together (as partners in a wave or line).  Avoid using any gender-dependent calls otherwise you might end up switching one of these dancers with someone else.  Call easy to help insure things don't get worse, for example keep as much of the floor as possible dancing in standard arrangement.

If switched dancers are a couple and everyone is in facing lines...

Try to get the switched dancers as a sashayed couple with everyone else normal 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 mostly standard applications likely have a hunch something is wrong and will usually fix it right away.  (Note this makes the dancers aware of their mistake.)    (or)

• (Advanced or above) Half Breed Through    (or)

• (Advanced or above) Pass The Sea  Girls-Run  Leaders Trade    (or)

• Get the dancers into waves: (for example: Pass The Ocean) then...

If in waves...

Get the switched dancers as partners in (together at one end of) a R-H wave then call:  Boys-Run    (or)

Get the switched dancers as partners in (together at one end of) a L-H wave then call:  Girls-Run

Then call...

• "couples facing out"-Partner Traade    (or)

• Leaders-Partner Traade    (or)

• (pause for flow)  Bend The Line

If opposite-gender switched dancers are facing each other...

• Star Thru  Leaders-California Twirl    (or)

• Touch 1/4  Boys-Run  Leaders-Partner Trade    (or)

• "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.

• "If you're not holding your original partner in your right hand"-Centers Trade.  (this, of course, requires the other wave have everyone holding their original partner.)

Key Couples Become Opposites

• Get to [P] (DPT formation) and call:
  • "box of dancers closest to the caller only"-Zoom    (or)
  • "column of dancers closest to the caller only"-Zoom

  If the formation is oriented the wrong way, you can use Double Pass Thru  Cloverleaf to chage it.  After one column/box Zooms then call:  Double Pass Thru  Cloverleaf  again and everyone is roughly paired as they were originally.

• Get to [W] (parallel R-H waves).  call:  "wave nearest the caller only"-Spin The Top and Swing Thru "while the wave farthest from the caller"-Swing Thru and Spin The Top.  Ending formation is [TW] (R-H tidal wave).

  If the waves weren't oriented so one is was closer to the caller, any one the following modules can be used to reorient the waves.  These rotate the formation 90 degrees without affecting anything else...

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.

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)

Same-gender Waves

Starting Formation

Girls and Boys in their own half of the square

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 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.

Same gender R-H Waves

Head / Side Symmetry

       H>  S>
       <H  <S
       S>  H>
       <S  <H

Now call:  All 8 Circulate  Boys-Run (right)  <pause for flow>  All dancers should be 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 only 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  <pause for flow> (say "hi!")
• Call Bend The Line - square is symmetric
• Resolve normally

How does this work?