LESSON #2

CREATING SMOOTH FLOWING CHOREOGRAPHY

By

Paul Adams

LESSON #2

Part (a).

Now that you know you can successfully Call a guest Tip, and you have completed your self-analyses on that guest Tip at the local Club, it’s time to move to the next step in learning to create smooth flowing choreography.

Observation: Did you see that when you Called, (Heads: Square Thru 4) in Fig.#1, in Lesson 1. That #1 Man was facing his Corner, and #3 Lady was beside him as his Partner of the moment, facing her Corner, also that the Side Couple, Couple #4, were standing in their Home position, with their original Partner, both facing into the Square. The mirror image of this is on the other side of the Square, where Couple #2 is standing with their original Partner in their Home Position, facing into the Square. On the inside of the set, #3 Man and #1 Lady were facing #2 Couple in other words everyone is facing their original Corner.  This Position, is Named, Zero Box, it use to be called a (Box 1-4) which is still used by many Callers today, to identify this Position. The Correct Name (Zero Box) is a more precise name because if #2 Man and #4 Lady were facing #1 Couple standing in #1 Couples Home Position and facing into the Square, it will still be a (Zero Box) but it is not a (Box 1-4).

Please Note: this Position as well as any other arrangement of Dancers in this box type Position, is called an Eight Chain Thru Formation.

Keep in mind that in a Zero Box, one couple will be a Matched Couple and one couple will be Un-matched. Example: Following the Call, Heads: Square Thru 4, the Side Couple are the Matched Couple and the Heads, (#1 Man & #3 Lady), are the Un-matched Couple. You would be wise to remember this for future use.

I have given you 2 sequences that will take the Dancers, from a Static Square to end in an Eight Chain Formation, Zero Box.

1.   Heads/ Sides: Square Thru 4 = ZB

2.   Heads/Sides: Touch 1/4 / Boy Run = ZB

To the best of my knowledge and not including the 2 mentioned above, there are approximately 25 short, simple sequences, using only the only the Calls from Callerlab Basic 51 List, which will take the dancers from a Static Square to an Eight Chain Thru Formation, Zero Box.

Many potential (want to be) Callers, get lost or overwhelmed while trying to memorize, invent, create or write, reams of Choreography. I believe moving you dolls or checkers through short sequences will be much easier than pushing them through a 10, 20 or 30 Call sequence, writing these short sequences out on paper (preferably a book) as you proceed, will provide you with an everlasting hard copy of your efforts, which in time you will memorize and which will always be available to you throughout your Calling career. Working your dolls through this exercise along with the Callerlab Definitions for the Basic Mainstream Program will help to develop your skill and knowledge of how each call works.

        Before going on any further in this lesson, get your dolls or checkers, plus the Callerlab Basic and Mainstream Program List, approved September 3, 2015, as well as the Callerlab Basic and Mainstream Definitions (Revised May 31 2013), and using only the Calls from Callerlab Basic 51, part of this list, create and write out at least 20 more (of these approximately 25) short sequences, which will take the Dancers from a Static Square to a Zero Box.

You may e-mail your list to me, I will check them and/or correct them, and e-mail it back to you, adding any which you might have missed.

Part (b), of Lesson #2

In lesson one, following Fig. #3. I made reference to a Zero Line, Having the (Heads/Sides: Lead Right / Circle to a Line), will create a Lines Facing Formation sometimes named Facing Lines Formation. However the Position is known as a Zero Line, meaning #1 Couple on the left end of a line of 4, with #2 Couple on the right end of the same Line, #1 Couple is facing #4 Couple and #2 Couple is facing #3 Couple across the set. This was called a 1p2p Line, but the correct and more precise name is a Zero Line. From a Zero Line all can Join Hands and Circle Left to Home, all with Partner and all Couples in sequence.

Any Line arrangement of Dancers who are Facing In, and/or are looking at one another across the set, is called Facing Lines, or Lines Facing, if everyone is a normal couple (man on Left Lady on his Right) and standing with their original partner, this may also be called Normal Lines, however, these Lines may or may not be in Sequence.

The Zero Line is an easily recognizable Position which is also most useful when learning to use Sight Resolution, meaning how to resolve the choreography you have chosen or written to an Allemande Left.  

Get out your pencil, paper, your Callerlab Definitions and with your dolls/checkers and write out 6 more short Sequences, which will take the Dancers from a Static Square to a Zero Line. I will only allow one Conversion. A conversion is when you take the Dancers to a Zero Box first, and from that Zero Box to a Zero Line.

You may e-mail your list to me, I will check them and/or correct them, and e-mail it back to you, adding any which you might have missed.

Do not rush this process and have fun

This is the end of Lesson #2