Definitions of Square Dance Calls and Concepts
 
Definitions of Square Dance Calls and Concepts
 
 
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.


 
 
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.

(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).

Back Jay Shakedown:

 
 
before
Back Jay Shakedown
 after
Left Jay Partner Tag:

 
 
before
Left Jay Partner Tag
 after

Historically, Jays were denoted as follows:

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.

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

 
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 ).

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

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