An occasional newsletter goes out to alumni of the Silver State Caller College. It discusses topics related to the art and science of calling square dances.
 

Hi SSCC Alumni!

Happy New Year!

I received some very thoughtful worksheets from Robert Morris of California (SSCC 2007). This guy really does his homework! In 2008 let's all resolve to be more like hard-working Robert Morris, and less like lazy loafing, ahem, meeee. :-) :-)

Let's follow along on how to develop an interesting choreographic sequence.

Robert's text is set off with > signs. My comments are interspersed.

> Nasser:
>
> I was working with that figure I created at Silver State and I
> saw that the girls were being screwed into the ground. Starting
> with # 1 and going to #4 is what I came up with. #5 I am trying
> to make it work for a singing call. #6 & 7is just refining the
> figure But it is about 10 beats short. # 8 is a try at bringing
> it up to about 60 beats Can you give me a push in the right
> direction?
>
> UPDATE --
>
> At 1:00 AM this morning I figured out a better way to extend
> the figure. Look at 9 & 10 The way that I have it laid out you
> can see my train of thought.
>
> Robert E. Morris
>
> No progression
> 1.
> HEADS LEAD-RIGHT
> SLIDE-THRU
> PASS-THE-OCEAN
> GIRLS TRADE
> GIRLS CIRCULATE
> GIRLS CIRCULATE
> SPIN-CHAIN-THRU
> GIRLS U-TURN-BACK
> GIRLS CIRCULATE
> PROMENADE-HOME
>
> 48 Beats
> Girls are getting screwed into the ground. Not very bad but
> this is not good.

Nasser's comments - This could be an interesting figure ... if you're a gurrll. :-) :-) You're right, it's a lot of overflow for the girls. However you do appear to be off to a great start on developing a very good figure.

> 2.
> HEADS LEAD-RIGHT
> SLIDE-THRU
> PASS-THE-OCEAN
> GIRLS SCOOT-BACK
> GIRLS CIRCULATE
> GIRLS CIRCULATE
> SPIN-CHAIN-THRU
> GIRLS U-TURN-BACK
> GIRLS CIRCULATE
> PROMENADE-HOME
>
> 54 beats
> Scoot back is better flow than girl's trade then girls
> circulate. And they are not being screwed into the ground
> as bad.

Nasser's comments - Girls Scoot Back is left-handed in this case. Most dancers will not be able to do it easily. This does -not- mean "avoid it"! Rather, take some extra care in building them up to it during the patter. Also, my overall impression (I have -not- pushed the checkers at this point) is that if you're circulating the centers twice, then later on circulating the same people (who are now ends) once, that's three circulates for the same people. It seems a bit much. Again, I have not pushed the checkers, so this is a not a choreographic judgement but rather an intuition.

> 3.
> HEADS LEAD-RIGHT
> SLIDE-THRU
> PASS-THE-OCEAN
> GIRLS SCOOT-BACK
> GIRLS CIRCULATE
> BOYS CIRCULATE
> SPIN-CHAIN-THRU
> GIRLS U-TURN-BACK
> GIRLS CIRCULATE
> PROMENADE-HOME
>
> 54 Beats
> Two girls Circulates is the same as Boys circulate Girls circulate.
> Less screwing into the ground and gives the boys something to do.
> Keeps them out of trouble.

Nasser's comments - It's improving. Whenever I call for Ends do something then Centers do something, I usually give the Ends their call first. That's because they usually have further to go. In this specific case, I would call Boys Circulate, Girls Circulate (instead of the other way around), giving the Ends their call first because it takes them longer to get 'er done. Note that the Girls -could- do their U-Turn back and Circulate while the Boys finish up their Spin Chain Thru. This reduces the overall timing of your figure by 6 beats, bringing it down to 48 beats. So if you're trying to get to 64 beats, this figure will time out -way- short. But that could be a good thing. It's almost always easier to add more to a figure than try to pare it down to size.

> 4.
> HEADS LEAD-RIGHT
> SLIDE-THRU
> PASS-THE-OCEAN
> GIRLS SCOOT-BACK
> CIRCULATE
> SPIN-CHAIN-THRU
> GIRLS U-TURN-BACK
> GIRLS CIRCULATE
> PROMENADE-HOME
>
> 50 beats
> Circulate is the same as boys circulate and Girls circulate
> and less to say. Also less beats.

Nasser's comments - as you noted, the same as #3 except replace Boys Circ / Girls Circ with All 8 Circ. At Plus and below, I almost never call "Circulate" if I mean "All 8 Circulate". It makes the dancers have to think too hard. Plus dancers don't want to think that hard. Of course at Advanced they -do- want to think a lot, and I specifically -do- call just "Circulate" (and let the dancers figure out that I meant All 8) at Advanced. But not at Plus. Note that different callers call differently, and I'm not always right. :-)

> Right hand progression
> 5.
> HEADS LEAD-RIGHT
> SLIDE-THRU
> PASS-THE-OCEAN
> GIRLS SCOOT-BACK
> GIRLS TRADE
> BOYS CIRCULATE
> SPIN-CHAIN-THRU
> GIRLS ZOOM
> GIRLS U-TURN-BACK
> GIRLS CIRCULATE
> PROMENADE-HOME
>
> 54 beats
> In the Spin Chain Thru after the girls do the first trade they
> are done. Then call Girls zoom U-Turn back and circulate. They
> will be in place for the boy to pick them up. They might have to
> wait 2 beats before the boy gets there.

Nasser's comments - Whenever I need to call something for the Ends and a separate call for the Centers, I give the Ends their call first, because they have further to go. In this case I would call "Boys Circulate, Girls Trade" instead of the other way around. Also, lotsa luck calling this figure to a Plus floor. "Ends Zoom" from waves will require significant (like, an entire tip of) practice, and even then some of the dancers won't ever get it! However, I must admit, you do come up with some seriously gooood stuff.

> 6.
> HEADS LEAD-RIGHT
> SLIDE-THRU
> PASS-THE-OCEAN
> GIRLS SCOOT-BACK
> CENTERS TRADE
> ENDS CIRCULATE
> SPIN-CHAIN-THRU
> GIRLS ZOOM
> GIRLS U-TURN-BACK
> GIRLS CIRCULATE
> PROMENADE-HOME
>
> 50 beats
> Removed Boys Girls on the circulate I don't think that it buys us much

Nasser's comments - As previously noted, call Ends Circulate, Centers Trade for better timing and flow. Also, we as callers must be aware that Centers / Ends is harder for dancers to figure out than Girls / Boys. Technically it -should- be the exact same effort, but in real life everyone in the hall has known for years if they're a boy or a girl. But they must figure out immediately on the spot if they're a center or an end. Executive summary: Centers/Ends is more difficult for dancers than Boys/Girls. This does not mean "avoid it". Rather, it means "be aware of it".

> 7.
> HEADS LEAD-RIGHT
> SLIDE-THRU
> PASS-THE-OCEAN
> GIRLS SCOOT-BACK
> ACEY-DEUCEY
> SPIN-CHAIN-THRU
> GIRLS ZOOM
> GIRLS U-TURN-BACK
> GIRLS CIRCULATE
> PROMENADE-HOME
>
> 50 beats
> Acey Deucey same as girls trade boys circulate and less to say.
> It is now Plus level

Nasser's comments - same as previous two figures. Use whatever works for you. As you noted, it's now officially Plus.

> 8.
> HEADS LEAD-RIGHT
> MAKE-A-WAVE
> GIRLS TRADE
> BOYS TRADE
> GIRLS SCOOT-BACK
> ACEY-DEUCEY
> SPIN-CHAIN-THRU
> GIRLS ZOOM
> GIRLS U-TURN-BACK
> GIRLS CIRCULATE
> PROMENADE-HOME
>
> 56 beats
>
> As a dancer I have never liked the Girls trade and Boys trade.
> The Boys on the end going thru the center don't have a lot of
> room. I hate it in a tidal wave the caller calls boys trade and
> you have to go from one end to the other. Then he calls boys
> trade again. Then I want to kill him. I.E. If I don't like to
> dance it. I don't want to call it. But I do have to use ALL of
> the calls.

Nasser's comments - I still have not pushed the checkers through this, but my intuition says it's gonna be tiresome for the Girls. You're asking the girls as Centers to Trade, then do a left-handed Scoot Back (lotsa luck getting them through this, by the way) which is essentially a Trade, then Trade again as centers of an Acey Deucey. That's three trades in a row by the exact same two dancers. The checkers don't give a rip, but the dancers will probably find it tedious.

> 9.
> HEADS LEAD-RIGHT
> VEER-LEFT
> WHEEL-AND-DEAL
> MAKE-A-WAVE
> GIRLS SCOOT-BACK
> ACEY-DEUCEY
> SPIN-CHAIN-THRU
> GIRLS ZOOM
> GIRLS U-TURN-BACK
> GIRLS CIRCULATE
> PROMENADE-HOME
>
> 54 beats
> Added 4 beats to #7

Nasser's comments - I immediately feel overflow for the Side Boys after Lead Right (90 degrees), Wheel & Deal (180 degrees), Acey Deucey (180 degrees for some of the boys), Spin Chain Thru (180 degrees). At this point the head boys have spun 450 degrees, which is right at the limit, but the poor side boys have spun 540 degrees, which is 90 degrees over the limit. And the figure basically still contains two major floor-breakers (i.e. most floors will not survive the figure). Those two floor-breakers are centers of a wave do a Left-handed Scoot Back, and ends of a wave do a Zoom. You're onto some -very- interesting choreography, but just be aware that it will require significant workshop during the patter in order to "prepare" or "train" the dancers. If this were my choreography, I'd search for ways to keep it interesting but make it easier for the dancers to get through it.

> 10.
> HEADS LEAD-RIGHT
> VEER-LEFT
> FERRIS-WHEEL
> CENTERS PASS-THRU
> MAKE-A-WAVE
> GIRLS SCOOT-BACK
> ACEY-DEUCEY
> SPIN-CHAIN-THRU
> GIRLS ZOOM
> GIRLS U-TURN-BACK
> GIRLS CIRCULATE
> PROMENADE-HOME
>
> 58 beats
> This is better than #9 and we have added 8 beats to # 7 We are
> only 6 beats short of the 64 beat figure. Acey Deucey is the only
> thing that makes this a plus figure

Nasser's comments - All ten of the figures you wrote are good. You did a LOT of work. I normally try to find an easier way. :-) Let's see if we can take your basic idea and develop something seriously cool.

First, what exactly is your basic idea? Clearly, you want to call Spin Chain Thru. But "Spin Chain Thru, Ends Circulate" is common. You want something different, which is great. You want the Ends to Zoom while the centers finish their Spin Chain Thru. This is interesting choreo.

You've also played with the idea of centers doing a Scoot Back (left-handed). That's an entirely different can of worms. Let's save it for another day. In other words, we're working with two spicy concepts. Let's develop just one of the spices (ends Zoom) and let's save the other spice (centers left-handed scoot back) for some other time.

When I develop a figure, I normally write down -something-, then adjust it to make it fit. It's easier to change something than it is to paint on a completely blank canvas. On the first draft, I don't care if it resolves. I'm just trying to come up with something interesting that flows well. Since we gotta start somewhere, let's start with:

HEADS LEAD RIGHT,
SPIN CHAIN THRU,
GIRLS ZOOM,
SPIN CHAIN THRU,
BOYS ZOOM,
then adjust it to fit.

Okay, we've got a good base to work from. Does it resolve? Pushing the checkers, I find the boys are exactly in sequence but the girls are out of sequence. If we could somehow swap the head girls, we'd be perfect. With everyone in sequence you technically -could- call "circulate until you find your own dang corner, swing, promenade". :-)

Alrighty then, let's swap those two girls by replacing Lead Right with Pass the Ocean, and here's what we have:

HEADS PASS THE OCEAN,
EXTEND,
SPIN CHAIN THRU,
GIRLS ZOOM,
SPIN CHAIN THRU,
BOYS ZOOM,
then adjust it to fit.

Pushing the checkers, I'm pleasantly surprised to discover we end up in a zero box wave. Wow, it must be beginner's luck. Just do the figure, swing your corner and Promenade. Cool Cool Cool.

Let's address the next crucial question ... how does it time out? We might have to shorten or lengthen the figure.

6 HEADS PASS THE OCEAN,
2 EXTEND,
16 SPIN CHAIN THRU,
- GIRLS ZOOM (while the Boys finish Spin Chain Thru)
16 SPIN CHAIN THRU,
- BOYS ZOOM, (while the Girls finish Spin Chain Thru)
4 to 8 SWING CORNER
20 to 16 PROMENADE

64 total

Well, whaddaya know, we have a perfectly timed figure on our first attempt. Are we goood, or what? We're on a ROLL!

You've got an extremely usable figure. In fact, I'm gonna use it tonight. THANKS FOR THE MATERIAL, ROBERT!!

During the patter portion of the tip, we'll want to work the dancers through "Ends Zoom" from a wave. You will probably need to work 'em through Spin Chain Thru as well, especially when starting from a wave with Girls on the End. This is good: your patter tip now has a very specific purpose.

You might actually need TWO patter tips to develop this ONE singing call figure: a full tip to practice Spin Chain Thru and a second tip to practice Ends Zoom from a Wave. Whether you choose to get it done in one tip or two, this singing call figure very definitely requires preparing the dancers during the patter, so that they can dance and enjoy the singer. "Patter with a Purpose" is always a good thing.

Looks like you came up with a winner! CONGRATULATIONS! And thanks for doing such good research for the group, so we'll all have something fun and different to call this month. You are very welcome to do more research for the group, any time you choose!!

With appreciation,

Nasser "gladly uses choreo from SSCC alumni -- it's often GOOD stuff" Shukayr

Someone wrote in:

> What I want to do is:
>
> spin chain thru
> girls u turn back
> Promenade home.

Good idea. Here's how to develop it.

Rough Draft #1

Heads Square Thru
Spin Chain Thru
Girls U-Turn Back

Where is everybody? If the girls do an "Un-circulate" after their U-Turn Back, everyone ends up with their corner. Un-circulate does not work well, but certainly they can Circulate -before- doing the U-Turn Back. So let's add that to our sketch pad:

Rough Draft #2

Heads Square Thru
Spin Chain Thru
Girls Circulate
Girls U-Turn back
(now everyone has their corner)

Where is everybody? Promenade home requires only 6 beats from here. A Singing Call promenade needs to take 14 to 20 beats. So we need a longer promenade. How do we accomplish this? We need to change everyone's position so that they'll end up in the proper quadrant for a longer Promenade. So let's rotate the entire square 180 degrees:

Rough Draft #3 - with timing

8 - Heads Promenade Halfway
6 - Sides Pass the ocean
2 - Extend ( = Zero Box Wave)
16 - Spin Chain Thru
0 - Girls Circulate
0 - Girls U-Turn Back (this takes zero time because it overlaps what the boys are doing)
14 - Promenade

total = 46 beats

We're perfect except we need 18 beats of additional dancing.

How about Swing Thru, Boys Run, Ferris Wheel, centers Pass Thru? This equals 18 beats, and can be inserted just before Spin Chain Thru. Now we have:

Rough Draft #4 - with timing

8 - Heads Promenade Halfway
6 - Sides Pass the Ocean
2 - Extend
6 - Swing Thru
4 - Boys Run
6 - Ferris Wheel
2 - Centers Pass Thru
16 - Spin Chain Thru, Girls Circulate, Girls U-Turn Back
14 - Promenade

Total = 64 beats

And that's our Final Answer. Other final answers are possible. That's the neat thing about calling square dances: there are jillions of right answers!

Happy Calling in 2008 and beyond!

Nasser Shukayr
for Silver State Caller College

PS - Everyone please remember the upcoming Silver State Caller College in November 2008. Square dancing needs new callers. Please help bring them on board! If anyone reading this happens to run across newbies with a knack for calling, send them our way! Of course the Silver State Caller College is well suited for experienced callers too!

Somebody wrote in:

> What are some suggestions/ideas that you might have that
I can use to bring slow dancers up to speed, instead of
slowing the record down (which I know is not really the
correct thing to do) .. these are not new dancers, but
they are older dancers ..

GOOD QUESTION!! Getting everyone dancing together as a team can be a definite challenge. It's one of our main goals as callers.

The answer is certainly -not- "call slower". If dancers are already dancing too slow, then if you slow down your calling, the only possible result is the dancers will slow down even more!

Let's look at several factors which can affect dancer speed.

1. Music factors:

1-A. Use music with a good strong beat ... the kind of music you just can't help but move to.

1-B. Make sure the tempo is in danceable range. For today's older dancers, you need 124 to 130 bpm (Beats Per Minute). I tend to run all my patter at 126 bpm (unless I'm calling for a youth group or something similar).

2. Acoustic factors:

2-A. Is the music loud enough for the dancers to hear the beat and move to the beat? If the music is not loud enough, the dancers' only choice is to try to move to the cadence of the caller's voice. Dancing to the music almost always produces more uniform movement than dancing to a caller's voice.

2-B. Is the music too loud? The caller's voice must be clearly heard over the music.

2-C. How are the acoustics in the hall? Poor acoustics will slow dancers down, because it takes longer to hear and understand a call. Echo is the most common acoustic problem. Most echo problems can be improved by some combination of lowering the volume, reducing the bass in the music, and/or increasing the treble in the microphone tone control.

3. Voice / Delivery problems:

3-A. Eliminate filler words. This is extremely important. With no filler words, dancers can more easily hear the command, figure out what you want, and get 'er done. But if dancers must constantly filter a stream of extraneous audio clutter, it takes them more time to head and understand the call. Try to say the calls (and only the calls) by their exact and proper name.

3-B. Are you calling fast enough? Slow calling will surely result in slow dancing. To speed up dancers, call faster (i.e. give the next command sooner). This gives people a bit more time to hear and process the information. Ideally commands should occur 2 or 3 beats in advance

3-C. Are you mushy-mouthed? :-) If so, sshtopp dewwing dat! :-) Speak clearly and correctly, to help dancers understand the calls better and sooner.

4. Dancer training:

4-A. Gently remind the dancers that if they are not keeping up, it's a great idea to make their square smaller (so they will have less distance to travel).

4-B. Are your dancers using too strong of a handhold? Sometimes dancers mistakenly believe they need a good tight hold on each other. Each call then requires an extra split-second at the beginning for dancers to unclench their handhold, and another extra split-second at the end to re-establish the vise grip. All those split-seconds add up. Remind dancers to dance gently. They should never "contain" or "envelop" or "clench" another dancer's hand or arm.

4-C. Are your dancers using enough handholds? Remind dancers to lightly touch hands, with the person(s) beside them, at the completion of every call. This lets them immediately know who they're working with (i.e. who their partner is.) Proper handholds reduce the amount of time dancers spend fumbling around looking for someone to do the next call with.

4-D. Gently encourage dancers to take one step on each beat of the music.

- - - - - -

The above list is just a start. There may be other factors which we have not yet considered. Note that if you learn -all- the factors all at once, your head will surely explode from the pressure of too much knowledge. Since we don't want that to happen to anyone, let's stop discussion and let's get back on our main mission, which is helping people dance together as one coordinated team!

Thanks for asking such a great question!

Nasser Shukayr

PS - for an entire week of great questions and answers, please remember the Silver State Caller College, November 20 thru 24 2008 in Reno, and please recommend us to your friends! Flyer is at http://www.nshukayr.com/sscc2008.pdf

It would be especially helpful if we can scare up a few more brand-new callers (although the school is very well suited for any caller with any level of expertise). Please let potential student callers know that the school does sell out every year, and they can reserve their place today with only a $50 deposit.

Candy Hughes (SSCC Alumna 2007 ... wow, she was at the most recent one) sent the following helpful info. I'm torn as to whether to resent the intrusion, or ... delight in having such smart alumni. :-) :-)

Nasser "delights in having such smart alumni" Shukayr

- - - - - - - -

another thing to think about:

HALL CONDITIONS

some SD clubs/classes share space in a hall with other activities

floor could be quite slippery --> slows down the dancers (they don't want to fall, so they take shorter steps)

floor could be quite tacky --> slows down the dancers (their feet do not glide, they "grab" so steps are shorter, dancers may even trip over their own feet)

hall could be quite warm --> slows down the dancers as they deal with the heat

hall could be quite chilly -- > slows down the dancers since they are using extra energy to keep warm (and may stiffen up between tips)

______

another thing I think about, which you touched on, the "mental processing" time may be longer for older dancers

caller may need to sing out the call half a beat or a full beat early, to make up for this ... in patter of course ... or may need to eliminate a dosado in a singing call, to let the dancers get where they need to go

(certainly have found this true here --- dancers just don't MOVE that fast, may not be capable of moving any faster than they already do; am by far the youngest of the bunch)

also, using older records, recorded faster than 130 bpm, did have to slow those down, I use the "can I personally grapevine at that speed ?" test to see if the record itself is too fast

one call that seems to take these dancers "longer than standard" is a promenade halfway ... am considering substituting RLT for Prom 1/2 while working with these dancers ... most are in their 70s and several not in good physical condition ... two may have some short-term memory impairment as well

interesting to deal with this

Candy

Let's plan and call a patter tip with Modules

Every tip needs a purpose. For this tip's purpose, let's choose "a variety of getouts".

We need some getouts. They're easy to find. Many are on the internet. Several were in the textbook from your caller school. You could push checkers and write your own modules.

For variety, let's choose some modules from a Zero Box, some from a Zero Line, and some from other places. Let's also choose some which resolve to a Left Allemande, some which resolve to R&L Grand, and some which resolve to something other than Left Allemande or R&L Grand.

Here are some modules I selected. You might chose different modules for your own tip:
 from Zero Box: Star Thru, R&L Thru, Rollaway, Pass Thru, Ends Fold, Left Allemande
 from Zero Box: Swing Thru, Boys Run, Ferris Wheel, centers step to a Wave, Left Allemande
 from Zero Box: Swing Thru, Boys Trade, Step Thru, R&L Grand
 from Across the Street Box: Swing Thru, Swing Thru, everybody Circulate, everybody Run, everybody Fold, Left Allemande
 from Zero line: Pass the Ocean, Girls Trade, Swing Thru, R&L Grand
 from Zero Line: Pass Thru, Wheel & Deal, centers Pass Thru, Swing Thru, Turn Thru, Left Allemande
 from Zero Line: R&L Thru, Pass the Ocean, Boys Run, Promenade

It makes a much better tip if you can call these modules from memory instead of reading them. It is not difficult to memorize modules. The secret is to memorize each module into your LONG-term memory. Use a multi-sensory approach. Don't just recite the words over and over. Make the module REAL. Imagine yourself as one of the dancers. What does it FEEL like and what does it LOOK like to dance this module? Put on a piece of music. HEAR the music. FEEL it. Imagine yourself dancing to it.

To get the module into long-term memory, we need to STOP trying to memorize it. Take a break, then come back to the module later. If you can still recall the module after a five or ten minute break, then it has sneaked into your long-term memory.

Whenever I use a piece of music to memorize a module, I can recall that module by merely thinking about the particular music which was playing when I worked the module into memory. Let's agree that various memorization methods work differently for different people. A reasonable goal is to learn just one or two new modules a day. Every person reading this can easily meet that goal.

After memorizing some modules, let's plan a tip with those modules.

A tip should progress from easy to difficult, so we should arrange our modules in a progression of difficulty. We can also plan to save a nice easy cool getout for last. Let's make sure everyone succeeds on the very last sequence of the tip.

Here is the progression of difficulty I chose. Maybe you would choose a different order. If so, that's okay. Any order is better than random.
 #1 from Zero Box: Star Thru, R&L Thru, Rollaway, Pass Thru, Ends Fold, Left Allemande
 #2 from Zero Line: R&L Thru, Pass the Ocean, Boys Run, Promenade
 #3 from Across the Street Box: Swing Thru, Swing Thru, everybody Circulate, everybody Run, everybody Fold, Left Allemande
 #4 from Zero Line: Pass Thru, Wheel & Deal, centers Pass Thru, Swing Thru, Turn Thru, Left Allemande
 #5 from Zero line: Pass the Ocean, Girls Trade, Swing Thru, R&L Grand
 #6 from Zero Box: Swing Thru, Boys Trade, Step Thru, R&L Grand
 #7 from Zero Box: Swing Thru, Boys Run, Ferris Wheel, centers step to a Wave, Left Allemande

Okay, we have our getouts, and we have our "progression of difficulty". We need to select music to fit the tip. Since the tip features a bunch of "fun" getouts, appropriate patter music would be anything "bouncy" and "happy" and "fun". For my tip I will select "Stars Hoedown" on Blue Star. Of course you might select an entirely different piece of music. At least you're pre-planning, instead of "winging it". The main thing is that we are planning a fun successful happy tip for the dancers, as opposed to a deep-thought ponderous tip or a teaching tip. So, select music which fits the kind of tip we plan to call.

Okay, we have planned our tip. It's SHOWTIME!!! Let's call!!

Set up a Zero Box, by calling an equivalent for Square Thru such as: Heads Pass the Ocean, Girls Trade, Recycle, centers Pass Thru
Call Getout #1: Star Thru, R&L Thru, Rollaway, Pass Thru, Ends Fold, Left Allemande, you're home with partner

set up a Zero Line, by calling an equivalent for Lead Right, followed by an equivalent for Circle to a Line, for example: Sides Pass the Ocean, Girls Trade, Extend, Swing Thru, Boys Run, Couples Circulate, Bend the Line
Call Getout #2: R&L Thru, Pass the Ocean, just the Smart Boys Run, Promenade Home

Set up an Across the Street Box by first setting up a Zero Box (i.e. calling an equivalent for Square Thru): Heads R&L Thru, Rollaway, Pass Thru, Separate go around 1 to a Line, R&L Thru, Star Thru then convert your Zero Box to an Across the Street Box: R&L Thru, Veer Left, Couples Circulate, Chain Down the Line, R&L Thru, Pass the Ocean
Call Getout #3: Swing Thru, Swing Thru again, everybody Circulate, everybody Run, everybody Fold, Left Allemande, and if you're good, you're home with partner

Set up a Zero Line (by setting up a Zero Box, then converting it to a Zero line): Sides Square Thru, Swing Thru, Girls Circulate, Boys Trade, Boys Run, Bend the Line
Call Getout #4: Pass Thru, Wheel & Deal, centers Pass Thru, Swing Thru, Turn Thru, find the corner, Left Allemande, promenade home with a younger lady

Set up a Zero Line (by setting up a Zero Box, then converting it to a Zero Line): Sides Square Thru, Swing Thru, Boys Trade, Boys Circulate, Boys Run, Bend the Line
Call Getout #5: Pass the Ocean, Girls Trade, Swing Thru, find your partner, R&L Grand, Promenade Home with an older man

Set up a Zero Line (by calling an equivalent for Lead Right, followed by an equivalent for Circle to a Line): Heads Touch 1/4, Walk & Dodge, everyone Touch 1/4, Walk & Dodge, Partner Trade Convert it to a Zero Box: Touch 1/4, Single File Circulate, just the smart Boys Run
Call a zero: Star Thru, Pass Thru, Bend the Line, Pass the Ocean
Call getout #6: Swing Thru, Boys Trade, Pass Thru, find your partner, R&L Grand, Promenade home

Set up a Zero Box: Sides Pass the Ocean, Extend, Girls Trade, Recycle, Pass Thru, Trade By
Call a zero: Touch 1/4, Scoot Back, Boys Run, R&L Thru, Pass the Ocean
Call getout #7: Swing Thru, Boys Run, Ferris Wheel, centers step to a wave, find your corner, Left Allemande, R&L Grand, promenade home

For extra credit, use one or more of your getout modules in a singing call figure!

Please note that any mistakes in the above choreo were put there intentionally, to give you the joy of finding someone else's error. Maybe I'm joking, yet it is -always- a good idea to push -any- choreography through with your checkers, before you just up and call it. Look for difficult places, weird sequences, poor flow, etc. To call effectively, you must first completely understand the pattern you are calling!

Now it's your turn: plan a tip (it can be the same theme as in this example, or any other theme you wish), then call it!

Happy planning ... and calling!

Nasser Shukayr

For an entire week of planning and calling, consider the Silver State Caller College in Sparks, Nevada (November 20 thru 24, 2008). Even if a caller school is not in your plans for 2008, please recommend us to your friends and colleagues. Tell them to hurry: the school sells out to capacity every year, and right now there are only a handful of remaining spots! A small refundable deposit holds your place. More info at http://www.nshukayr.com/sscc2008.htm

It's hard work to memorize modules and singing call figures! Let's cut our workload in half, by learning to use modules as singing call figures and vice-versa.

Many singing call figures can be used as Zero Box Getouts. Most singing calls figures have three parts:
 - the "setup". This typically sets up a zero box. For example, Heads Square Thru.
 - the "body". This is the main part of the singing call figure.
 - the "ending". In a typical singing call, you end the figure by calling "Swing Your Corner".

The "body" of most singing call figures can be used as a getout in your patter. For example, consider this common singing call figure:
  the setup: Heads Square Thru
  the body: Swing Thru, Boys Run, Bend the Line, R&L Thru, Flutterwheel, Slide Thru
  the ending: Swing, Promenade

To use this figure in your patter, you'd get the set o a Zero Box then call the "body" of the figure. You can end with Left Allemande, or you can segue smoothly into yet another module. This does not work for -every- singing call figure, but it does work for a great many of them.

Some singing calls use an Across-the-Street box instead of a Zero Box. For example:
  the setup: Heads Promenade Halfway, Square Thru 4   the body: Dosado to a Wave, Recycle, Pass Thru, Trade By
  the ending: Swing, Promenade

You must be in an Across The Street Box to use the "body" of this figure. Or, you can start from a Zero Box, convert it to Across-the-Street, then use this "body". Or you can start from a Zero Box, use this 'body" (and you'll end up in Across-the-Street Box) then convert to Zero Box. So many possibilities!

Why would we even want to use singing call figures in our patter? First, we already know the figures. Second, they're usually nice smooth flowing routines. Third, it's always a good idea to learn and practice new tricks.

In addition to using singing call figures as getouts, you can use most getouts as singing call figures. It does take a little planning to time out to 64 beats.

For example, let's make a singing call figure from this Zero Box Getout:
  Touch 1/4, Scoot Back, Boys Run, R&L Thru, Rollaway, Pass Thru, Ends Fold, Left Allemande

First, set up a Zero Box. Second, ditch the "Left Allemande" and replace it with Swing Your Corner. How do we time out so far?
  Heads Square Thru = 10 beats
  Touch 1/4 = 2
  Scoot Back = 6
  Boys Run = 4
  R&L Thru = 6
  Rollaway = 4
  Pass Thru = 2
  Ends Fold = 2
  Swing Corner = (4 to 8 beats, let's use 6 for now)
  Promenade = 18 beats from this place in the square

Total = 60 beats

As you can see, we're 4 beats short. We need to either add a 4-beat call, or replace some call with an longer equivalent. There are several possible solutions. Here are two I came up with. You might have come up with something else instead.

- after Rollaway, call Forward & Back (4 beats)
or
 - replace "Heads Square Thru" (10 beats) with "Heads Touch 1/4 (4 beats), Boys Run (4 beats), Dosado (6 beats)", which means we replaced a 10-beat call with a 14-beat equivalent.

Let's look at another example. Let's make a singing call from this Across The Street Box getout:
 - Square Thru 3, Trade By, Left Allemande

As before, set up the required formation (Across the Street Box), followed by the body of the module, and replace Left Allemande with "Swing, Promenade". Let's see where we are timing-wise:
  Heads Star Thru = 6
  Pass Thru = 2
  Square Thru 3 = 6
  Trade By = 4
  Swing = 6
  Promenade = 18 from this point

  Total = 42 beats

We need to add 22 beats. Let's use a different (longer) setup to get to the Across-The-Street Box, i.e. let's replace "Heads Star Thru (4), Pass Thru (2)" (total of 6 beats) with "Heads Promenade 1/2 (8), Square Thru Four (10)" (total of 18 beats).

Here's where we stand so far:
  Heads Promenade 1/2 = 8
  Square Thru 4 = 10
  Square Thru 3 = 6
  Trade By = 4
  Swing = 6
  Promenade = 18

Total = 52 beats, we need 12 more

There are several solutions. For example, we can replace Swing (6 beats) with "Touch 1/4 (2), Scoot Back (6), Scoot Back (6), Star Thru (4)".

All the body-flow and hand-usage rules are still in effect. Note that the hand usage in this example is good. The second Scoot Back has the girls going in with their right hand, and coming out with a left hand free. They use their left hand for the Star Thru, so we're good to go.

Here's what we end up with:
  Heads Promenade 1/2 = 8
  Square Thru 4 = 10
  Square Thru 3 = 6
  Trade By = 4
  Touch 1/4 = 2
  Scoot Back = 6
  Scoot Back = 6
  Star Thru = 4
  Promenade = 18

Total = 64 beats

Okay, it's your turn! Take some of your favorite memorized getouts and convert them to favorite singing call figures! Or take some of your favorite singing call figures and start using them as modules in your patter!

Happy calling!

Nasser Shukayr

Remember our upcoming caller schools, and please recommend them to your friends:
 2008 Silver State Caller College, November 20-24 in Sparks, Nevada flyer at http://www.nshukayr.com/sscc2008.pdf
 2009 Trail-Thru Caller College, June 17-21 in Livingston, Texas flyer at http://www.nshukayr.com/ttcc2009.pdf
 2009 Silver State Caller College, November 19-23 in Sparks, Nevada