With these calls, the caller must designate certain dancers; generally half the dancers are designated. For this definition, a runner (or cross-runner) is a designated dancer and a non-runner is another dancer who moves during the call. For example, in Boys Run, the men are the runners and the women are the non-runners.
On Run, dancers work in pairs. On Cross Run, dancers work in groups of four, with the cross-runners crossing the center of the formation.
Case 1: Run
Command examples
- Boys Run
- Centers Run
- Women Run Right
- Leaders Run
Dance action
Each runner (designated dancer) must have a non-runner either to the right or to the left, and these dancers work together.
The runner and non-runner exchange places: the runner walks forward in a semicircle into the non-runner’s spot (ending with the opposite facing direction), while the non-runner moves into the runner’s spot without changing facing direction.
Case 2: Cross Run
Command examples
- Girls Cross Run
- Centers Cross Run
- On Each Side, Centers Cross Run (from a Tidal Wave)
- In the Center Wave, Centers Cross Run (from a Tidal Wave)
- Ends Cross Run
Dance action
Dancers work in a 1×4 Formation, where the cross-runners (designated dancers) must both be centers or both be ends. The others are the non-runners.
The cross-runners walk forward in a semi-circle into the spot vacated by the farther non-runner (ending with the opposite facing direction). That is, each cross-runner will cross the center of the four-dancer formation.
Simultaneously each non-runner moves into the spot of the closer cross-runner without changing facing direction. This position will be on their half of the four-dancer formation. That is, a center non-runner moves into the nearer end position; an end non-runner moves into the nearer center position.
Comments
From a Tidal Wave (or other 1×8 Formations), callers must carefully identify centers and ends. See the Tidal Wave command examples above and “General: Ways Of Naming Dancers: Centers / Ends”.
If the cross-runners are centers facing the same way, they Half Sashay, blending into a Run around the original far end.
If the cross-runners are ends facing the same way, they pass right shoulders with each other.
From a General Line, Everyone Cross Run is a gimmick. See the second to last comment of Run, above.
At Basic, Cross Run will almost always be called from a General Line. For other applications, see the final comment of Run, above.
ARC Decisions
(July 2008)
Q: The formation is Alamo Ring. The arrangement is boys adjacent and girls adjacent, all with right hands joined. The call given was Boys Run. The caller intended for the Boys to Trade. Does this application comply with the CALLERLAB written Basic definition?
A: NO. The committee voted this application is NOT proper. Reason: This application does not meet the written definition as there is no inactive dancer to run around. The call should simply be “Boys Trade.”
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Comments
A direction may be given, and this indicates where the non-runner is relative to the runner. It is often optional (e.g., Swing Thru, Boys Run Right), but may be required to avoid ambiguity (e.g., from an Alamo or Circle; or Heads Square Thru, Touch 1/4, Center Girls Run Left).
Infrequently used applications of Run can ask the same designated dancers to run around successive people (e.g., End Boy Run Right, Left, and Right), or to remain designated for multiple calls (e.g., Girls Cross Run and then Run).
An extended application designates more than one non-runner for each runner. E.g., from normal Lines Facing Out, End Boys Run Around 2. In this case, the center dancers are non-runners. The end boy walks in a semicircle to end in the position of the farther center while each non-runner moves one position toward where the runner started.
Some callers occasionally use Everyone Run. For example, from Lines Facing Out, this would be equivalent to Partner Trade. Because each runner is not next to a non-runner, this application is a gimmick (see Additional Detail: Commands: Gimmicks). This gimmick may not be used if only some dancers are designated. For example, after Heads Pass the Ocean, Extend, Split Circulate, the call Boys Run is improper because it is unclear if the Girls should do the part of the non-runner or not move at all. To be proper, the caller could use Do Your Part (see Additional Detail: Commands: Do Your Part).
At Basic, the runner and non-runner will almost always begin as a Mini-Wave or Couple. A workshop should precede other applications, such as when the non-runner is initially facing the shoulder of the runner (e.g., from a Double Pass Thru formation, Centers Square Thru 4, Centers Run).