A Diamond is a 4-dancer formation that can be setup from a Line of 4 after Centers Hinge.

A Diamond consists of two Centers (those with handholds), and two Ends (also known as Points).

Diamond Formation:     Diamond Footprints   Typical facing directions

R-H Diamond   L-H Diamond   Facing Diamond

Diamond Circulate [Plus] (Dewey Berry 1972): From a Diamond. Walk forward to the next position in the Diamond while turning 90° toward the center of the Diamond. Centers become Points and vice-versa. Dancers facing along the Circulate path pass Right-Shoulders with each other.

Aus einer R-H Diamond:     vor Diamond Circulate   nach	Aus einer L-H Diamond:     vor Diamond Circulate   nach
Aus Facing Diamonds:       vor Diamond Circulate   part-way   nach From Facing Diamonds, always pass right-shoulders.

Diamonds typically occur in pairs.

• Twin Diamonds are adjacent along the short axis.
• Point-to-Point Diamonds are adjacent along the long axis.

Twin Diamonds

Point-to-Point Diamonds

Hinweise:

• If you are a Center of the Diamond, hold hands with the other center in your Diamond.
• If you are a Point, use your inside hand to point downward toward the center of your Diamond. Do not touch hands with anyone in your Diamond.
• The handhold or lack thereof is important because most Diamond calls are defined in terms of Points and Centers. That is, Points do this, and Centers do that. If your hand location is incorrect, it may cause confusion as to who does which part.

At Plus, there are three calls done exclusively from Diamonds:

• Diamond Circulate [Plus] (Dewey Berry 1972): From a Diamond. Walk forward to the next position in the Diamond while turning 90° toward the center of the Diamond. Centers become Points and vice-versa. Dancers facing along the Circulate path pass Right-Shoulders with each other.
• Flip The Diamond [Plus] (Deuce Williams 1973): Aus einem Diamond. Centers machen ihren Teil vom Diamond Circulate, während die Points Flip In (180°) zu nächsten Center-Position. Ein normaler Diamond endet in einer Wave.
• Cut The Diamond [Plus] (Lee Kopman 1973): Aus einem Diamond. Centers machen ihren Teil von Diamond Circulate, während die Points zusammenrutschen und Trade, um in der entfernten Centerposition zu enden. Ein normaler Diamond endet in einer Two-Faced Line.

The Diamond formation can have a different name, depending upon facing direction of the outside dancers:

Single 1/4 Tag Formation

Single 3/4 Tag Formation

There is a subtle difference between the footprints of Twin Diamonds and a Generalized 1/4 Tag Formation.

Twin Diamonds	Generalized 1/4 Tag Formation
The exact position of the Outside dancers is dependent upon their facing direction. For Twin Diamonds, the outsides are equidistant between the centers on their side; whereas for a Generalized 1/4 Tag, the outsides are immediately adjacent (holding hands). While dancing, the formation can shift between these two formations.

A Diamond formation is contained within a 2 x 3 matrix. A Diamond is 2-spots in width, and 3-spots in length.

2 x 3 Matrix:   RIGHT (length = 3 spots)

2 x 4 Matrix:   WRONG (length = 4 spots)

Square Breathing is a term used to indicate that dancer positions dynamically change as formations expand and contract. See example below:

Das ist die Ausgangsformation für die folgenden Beispiele:     nach Centers Hinge WRONG (without Square Breathing) Outsides did not adjust   nach Centers Hinge RIGHT (with Square Breathing) Outsides moved 1/2 position inward and 1/2 position forward or backward to form perfect Diamonds

Drop direction [C2] (Lee Kopman 1975): Aus einem Diamond oder einem Generalized Single 1/4 Tag, in welchem die Centers in einer Mini-Wave stehen. Die Centers tanzen ihren Teil von Extend the Tag, während sich die Anderen 1/4 in die angegebene direction (Richtung, bezogen auf die 4 Tänzer Formation) drehen. Danach richten sich die Tänzer aus, um in einer 2 x 2 zu enden.