Square Dance: Table of Contents
Square dancing is great for mind, body, and spirit! This page contains links to Basic 1, Basic 2, and Mainstream index cards to summarize each call.
| Basic 1 | Basic 2 | Mainstream |
| Color-printed copies for all index cards are available at Amazon. Make them into a stack of easy-to-take-to-dance study cards, or use as reference books. | ||
Color-print each index card (below). If you get the Amazon books, cut each page close to the spine. These retractable razor knives work well.
Cut out the cards. Use a paper cutter...
... or rotary cutter/quilting ruler/self-healing mat (my choice).
Tape/staple/glue onto 4" x 6" index cards. (I prefer tape.) Use different colors for Basic 1/Basic 2/Mainstream to easily differentiate the levels. (The card color just peeks out around the edges.)
Useful Links/Notes
All snapshots are from Taminations:
Men are squares:
Sample snapshot;
center is indicated by X
The ‘heads’ on the icons indicate facing direction; arms (yellow) are shown as needed.
Numbers identify couples (useful when printed in black-and-white).
Most snapshots show the paths that dancers follow for the call.
All videos are from videosquaredancelessons.com:
Pictures of Square Dance Formations are from the International Association of Square Dance Callers.
INDEX CARDS
Some entries are logically grouped, instead of appearing strictly alphabetically.
Basic definitions: square dance, heads, sides, home, corners, partners
Basic 1
- allemande left
- arm turns
- backtrack
-
bend the line
line of 8, bend the line - California twirl
- chain down the line
- circle left, circle right
- circle to a line
- circulate
- courtesy turn
- dive thru
- do paso
- dosado
- face left/right/in/out
- forward and back
- grand square
- half sashay
- ladies chain
- ladies in, men sashay
- lead right/left
- left arm turns (see arm turns)
- pass thru
- passing rule
- promenade
- pull by
- right/left hand star
-
right and left grand
wrong way grand - right and left thru
- right arm turns (see arm turns)
- rollaway
- same position rule
- see saw
- separate
- split circulate
- split two
- square thru
- star promenade
- star thru
- step thru
- swing
- turn back
- veer left/right
- walk around the corner
- weave the ring
Basic 2
- Alamo style
- box the gnat
- cross run
- double pass thru
- extend
- facing couples rule
- ferris wheel
- first couple go left/right
-
flutterwheel
reverse flutterwheel - ocean wave (step to a wave)
- ocean wave rule
- pass the ocean
- run
- sweep a quarter
- swing thru
- touch a quarter
- trade
- trade by
- wheel and deal
- wheel around
- zoom
Mainstream
-
allemande thar
wrong way thar - cast off three quarters
- centers in
- cloverleaf
- cross fold
- dixie style to an ocean wave
- eight chain thru
- fold
- half tag
- hinge
- pass to the center
- quarter tag
- recycle
- scoot back
- shoot the star
- slide thru
- slip the clutch
- spin chain thru
- spin the top
- tag the line
- three quarter tag the line
- turn thru
- walk and dodge