 | Shape Changing {from offset 2 x 4s} |  |
A Shape Changer is any call in which the floor spots occupied by dancers at the
beginning of the call are different than the floor spots occupied by dancers at the
end of the call. In other words, the geometric shape of the formation has changed
either by rotating 90° or by evolving into a different formation. For the
purposes of this appendix, we will only discuss calls done from 2x4s that are offset
by 50% which, after execution, rotate the original starting footprints by 90°.
When dancing calls without Phantoms from setups that are not offset, one does not
need to concern oneself with the Shape Changing aspect of a call; however, when
dancing Shape Changers from a Parallelogram or Offset 2x4, this becomes a very
important aspect indeed. When doing a non-Shape Changing call from an offset setup,
you re-establish the exact footprints on the floor at the conclusion of the call
that you had at the beginning of the call. With a Shape Changer, however, re-establishing
footprints to the exact starting formation is not possible, but establishing relative
footprints in a complementary formation is possible, and a method for doing so is described below.
There are two parameters to remember when dealing with any offset formation:
- The Shear Line is the imaginary line which evenly divides the formation into
two halves, and along which exactly half of the dancers have been shifted 50%
relative to the other half of the dancers. Assuming that you are Squared off to
the walls and that the caller is at the North or South end of the hall, the
Shear Line is either a North-South dividing line (henceforth called a Head Shear
since it bisects the square through the Heads initial starting position), or
an East-West dividing line (henceforth called a Side Shear since it bisects the
square through the Sides initial starting position). Note that the Shear Line
always passes through the very Center of the set.
- The Shift Direction is the direction along the Shear Line in which the dancers
have been shifted. The Shift Direction is either Clockwise (CW) or
Counter-Clockwise (CCW). Note that "Right" or "Left" or "Up" or "Down" would
be insufficient information, since exactly half the dancers would be shifted
in one direction (e.g., "Right") while their opposite dancers would be shifted
in the opposite direction (e.g., "Left"). Right-Left fails to clarify which half
of the square is shifted in which direction (i.e., is the top half shifted Right,
or is the bottom half shifted Right?). CW and CCW, on the other hand, indicate
the Shift Direction of both halves of the square at the same time. To determine
whether the Shift Direction is CW or CCW, imagine grabbing the dancers on one
side of the Shear Line with one hand and grabbing the dancers on the other side
of the Shear Line with your other hand, almost like holding a steering wheel.
Now, imagine simultaneously moving both halves of the square along the Shear Line
in the direction of the offset, one hand in one direction and the other hand in
the opposite direction. If you turn the "steering wheel" to the right, the Shift
Direction is Clockwise (CW); if you turn the "steering wheel" to the Left, the
Shift Direction is Counter-Clockwise (CCW).
To dance Shape Changers from offset formations, you must determine the Shear Line
and Shift Direction of the starting formation, execute the call given, and then
make sure that you re-establish the same Shear Line and the same Shift Direction
in your ending formation.
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Ceder Chest Definition Books | Multilingual | administrator 
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