Starting formations
Command examples
- Swing Thru
- Left Swing Thru
Dance action
Swing Thru: Those who can turn 1/2 (180 degrees) by the right; then those who can turn 1/2 (180 degrees) by the left.
Left Swing Thru: Those who can turn 1/2 (180 degrees) by the left; then those who can turn 1/2 (180 degrees) by the right.
Dancers must work in their group:
- From an Alamo Ring, all dancers form one group.
- Otherwise, active dancers form one or more groups of four dancers each.
ARC Decisions
(May 2014)
Q. The formation was Two-Faced Line. The calls given were “Begin with a Partner Trade and Swing Thru.”
A. This application was voted to be improper. It does not comply with the Basic 2 definition which is described as starting from an Ocean Wave or Alamo formation and ending in the same formation as the starting formation. The definition also states that the dancers Turn 1/2 by the Right and NOT Partner Trade.
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Comments
The Facing Couples Rule applies to these calls.
From a Tidal Wave, Swing Thru is danced in the Ocean Wave on each half; no dancers cross the center of the Tidal Wave.
After applying the Facing Couples Rule, the starting formation of Swing Thru must be a Wave or an Alamo Ring (except for the extended application below). It is improper, for example, to Swing Thru from an Inverted Line.
As an extended application, dancers can work in other groups, provided that after applying the Facing Couples Rule they are in a wave of three or more dancers. In this case, the caller must clearly tell those dancers to work together. For example, Heads Pass The Ocean; Extend; Boys Circulate 1 1/2; Girls Cast Off 3/4; In the Wave of 6, Swing Thru. To have eight dancers work together is especially tricky, and should be used only with great caution, since normally eight dancers work in two groups of four. The eight-dancer application is usually reserved for dance programs in which a different call [Grand Swing Thru] achieves this action.