DO WE REALLY NEED THE “8 CHAIN” FAMILY OF MOVES? (Callerlink CL 211 March 2013)

 

When was the last time you actually witnessed an 8 Chain movement done properly? (That is with the end couple doing a “courtesy turn” instead of a “left hand pull by”.) Chances are it was at your last beginner class when you taught it!

 

You probably taught them that the “courtesy turn” was an essential part of the movement because; (1) it helps to hold the formation together for the next call and (2) it helps with correctly timed and smooth dancing. But as soon as your new dancers got out into the wider world the “courtesy turn” was gone!

 

You can’t really blame dancers for picking up this habit. Everybody else seems to do it. (In their minds), it’s not as if it is causing disruption to the rest of the dance. So you end up fighting a losing battle.

 

Ultimately we would like all dancers to perform the move correctly as it is defined. And that’s a nice thought, but so you think it is possible? Dancers have been dancing it as a “left hand pull by” for more than the 40 years that I’ve been involved. It is so entrenched in our contemporary usage that you would probably never achieve that purpose.

 

We add to the problem when we teach “Square Thru” because we point out that “courtesy turn” is not done on the even numbered hands. What we have achieved here is to pre-conditioned dancers into not doing a “courtesy turn” action when we teach a move with similar actions later.

 

One option is to stop using “8 Chain” movements as the “next to last” movement. If we keep using them as a lead in to “Swing” and “Allemande” dancers are almost encouraged to drop the courtesy turn. If we use moves that rely on them being in box formations, they might start to use the courtesy turn.

 

The next option is to redesign the definition. I’m not sure I like that idea; I like to leave our square dance heritage alone. But I’m sure there are others, who will argue that it would be a good idea,

 

Another option is to use another move which has a similar result. Such a move does exist! It is already on the Mainstream list and it is called “Wrong Way Grand”. Mind you “Wrong Way Grand” is only defined with 4 changes of hands, not for any other number. But it is executed in the same that “8 Chain 4” is presently being danced in the real world. And I don’t think anyone would have trouble when they encounter the call “Wrong Way Grand 3 hands” or “Wrong Way Grand 5 hands”. It also transforms the formation from a “two adjacent boxes” to a “Right and left grand” formation, but, isn’t that what is happening right now anyway?

 

I know it sounds a bit like “if you can’t beat them, join them mentality”, but I would rather have a different move used than to have one of our “heritage” moves vandalised like it is. Please think about it.

 

Jeff Garbutt