Common Square Dance Breaks

Here are a few breaks as danced around Missouri.

Central Missouri

Call Explanation

Left to your corner

Allemande left your corner once around

Right to your partner, right and left grand

Hand over hand around that ring, when you meet your partner, promenade.

Southeast Missouri

Call Explanation

Left to your corner

Allemande left your corner once around

Right to your partner, right and left grand

Hand over hand around that ring, when you meet your partner, give her a swing.

Promenade home

Southern Missouri

Call Explanation

Left to your corner

Allemande left your corner once around

Right to your partner, right and left grand

Hand over hand around that ring, when you meet your partner, give her a swing.

Swing ’em all

Ladies continue clockwise, gents counter-clockwise, around the circle, whirling each partner one time around till they get to their own

Run away with the corner girl

Ladies move up, gents fall back, so ladies have progressed one place around the square.

Beginner breaks

Call Explanation

All join hands, circle left

Ladies to the center and the gents sashay

Ladies step in to the circle, gents keep moving one place, then ladies step out. Gents have moved one lady to the left

Repeat till everyone has original partners

Call Explanation

All join hands, circle left

ladies roll away

gents tug on their partner’s hand, ladies whirl across the front of their partner so they’re now at the left.

reform circle and continue circling left

repeat till everyone has original partners

Call Explanation

All join hands, circle left

all four ladies star across

all four ladies make a left-hand star and turn the star till you meet your opposite

right to your opposite

allemande right your opposite gent

star on back

all four ladies reform the star

swing your own

Fancy breaks:

The rainbow stroll

Call Explanation

All join hands, circle left

In to the center, do the rainbow stroll.

All go to the center. Let go of current partner, take hands with the corner. Turn to the outside of the circle, box the nat. This turns the couple to the inside. Go back to the center, and repeat with the new corner, till you get your partner back.