From a Generalized 1/4 Tag or other applicable formations.
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.
Historically, Jays have been denoted as follows:
-
(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.
-
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.
-
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.
| | Facing (normal) Jay |
|
| | Front-to-Back Jay |
|
| | Back-to-Back Jay |
|
Recently, some callers have been using a generalization of the above naming
convention. Specifically, 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.
-
(Front) Jay: Center dancers work with the Outside dancers that are in front of them.
-
Back Jay: Center dancers work with the Outside dancers that are behind them.
-
Right | Left Jay: Center dancers work with the Outside dancers
that are to their Right | Left.
| | (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).
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.
Occasionally, a caller may call a Shape-changing call from a Jay.
| |
| before
Jay Pass The Ocean | | after
|
|
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).
Same Jay [NOL]:
After doing a Jay call, do the next call working with
the same dancers in the same Distorted Box.
See also
Choreography for Jay Concept
Comments? Questions? Suggestions?
