What do all those words mean? Basic figures, role terms, and other useful notes
Basics
ECD is right footed, which means the right foot comes down on beat 1.
[4 counts for everything]; each move is completed over some multiple of 4 counts.
This is true whether walking, skipping, or standing in place.
Dance positions
[Pryanksters uses gender neutral role terms]
Up: Facing the audience or the front of the set. Will be determined by stage size and dance orientation.
Down: The opposite direction from Up the set.
Partner: [May be next to you if both facing the same direction, or may be across the line of dance from you.]
Neighbor: [The dancer on the other side of you from your partner.]
Corner: [The person diagonally across the set from you.][define 1st corner and 2nd corner!!]
[Tops: The pair closest to Up direction. Also called Heads.]
[Bottoms: The pair farthest from the Up direction, also the pair closest to Down direction. Also called Feet.]
Sides: The pairs in an 8-person square formation who are not Heads [or Feet].
Common figures
Up a double: Walk forward R-L-R-L, then back R-L-R-L. Often repeated.
Siding: Exchange places with partner by crossing L shoulders while turning to face each other the entire way. (Looks like an orbit halfway around each other from outside the dancers.) Return to place by R shoulders.
Often repeated, always by the same shoulders.
Arming:
–Arm Right: Link R arms with partner while walking forward to loop back to place. Either take 8 counts to walk around OR take 6 counts and clap for the last 2 counts, depending on dance.
–Arm Left (often follows Arm Right): Link L arms with partner while walking forward to loop back to place. Take all 8 counts for this, since there is no clapping at the end of the second half of arming.
Set and Turn: Take 8 full beats to do the following two moves in sequence:
Set: Bounce to the R on R foot (1), 2 changes of weight L (and) – R (2), then bounce to the L on L foot (3), 2 changes of weight R (and) – L (4).
Turn: Take the next 4 full beats to turn single, in place, over your right shoulder. Feet are still R-L-R-L on the beat, with turning ¼ each beat. Not a pirouette.
Honor partner: Facing up if possible, or facing partner if not possible, [take hands] and sink down slightly. The hand and feet placement is minor, but thanking someone for dancing should be a clear part of the body language. Often, the musicians are also honored/acknowledged after some dances.
Slipping:
–Slip Left: Usually in a ring or line, to the left (CW – clockwise). L foot moves sideways to shoulder width, R foot moves to bring feet together. L-together-L-together, etc. Usually for 8 or 12 beats, depending on dance.
–Slip Right (sometimes following Slip Left): Ring rotates CCW – counterclockwise, R-together-R-together, etc.
Hey: Weaving pattern for 3-4 people at a time. People cross halfway between their positions, and everyone is moving during a hey.
–Hey for 3 Top faces down while middle and bottom face up. Top and middle cross by R shoulders while Bottom moves a step to their L. Middle loops R around the top position while Top and Bottom cross by L shoulders. Top loops L around the bottom position while Bottom and Middle cross by R shoulders.Bottom loops R around the top position while Top and Middle cross by L shoulders. Middle loops L around the bottom position while Top and Middle cross by R shoulders. Top turns single into place while Middle and Bottom cross by L to home.
–Hey for 4: Face neighbor in line, so 1&3 face, 5&7 face. Cross neighbor by R shoulders. 3 and 7 loop R around top and bottom position while 1&7 cross by L shoulder. Pattern continues with all cross R, then loop R on ends while cross by L in middle, repeat until home. Even line is the same as odd line, so heys are parallel (not mirrored).
Cast: Follow the leader figure. Go up through the top of your line, loop out, and down the outside of the set, loop up through the bottom to place. You may start or end at different places depending on your original set position.
Progressive Dances: You keep the same partner and get through each iteration of the dance with a new pair of dancers. Tops in a duple minor set of 4 people remain Tops and move down the set each time. They are out once at the bottom, then come back into the dance as Bottoms and move up the set each time. When Bottoms reach the top, they are out once, then come back into the dance as Tops.
Dance shapes
| Odd (1) | Even (4) |
| Even (2) | Odd (3) |
4-person: Pairs facing pairs (within each pair, the Odd is on the left and the Even is on the right). Or, as a duple minor set of 4: both Odds on one side of the set and both Evens on the other (as in long lines, below).
| Odd (1) | Even (2) |
| Odd (3) | Even (4) |
| Odd (5) | Even (6) |
| Odd (7) | Even (8) |
Long lines: With all pairs facing the top of the set, the Odds’ line is on the left and the Evens’ line is on the right.
| Even (2) | Odd (1) | ||
| Odd (5) | Even (8) | ||
| Even (6) | Odd (7) | ||
| Odd (3) | Even (4) |
Square: 4 pairs arranged in a square, all facing inward. Within each pair, the Odd is on the left and the Even is on the right.
Circle: Any number of pairs arranged in a circle. Within each pair, the Odd is on the left and the Even is on the right.
Mixed lines: Similar to long lines, but with a different configuration of Odds and Evens