what's ... ?

Square Dance

is a sporting dance for everyone, is movement according to music, is fun and happyness, yields plenty friends, enhances concentration, is free from contests, is a recreational pleasure for young and old, for families as well as singles:

Square dance was formed in the u.s. out of folk- and courtly dances brought along from the various immigrants. As such it was exported from there all over the world.
4 pairs each build up a set, the dancing square.
In contrast to ballroom dances, men don't lead. Rather the sequence of figures is called by a special person (our club magician).
New Modern Square Dance is different from campfire romance, it rather is a sportive, challanging group dance on popular music.
The level mainstream has approx. 70 figures, allowing to dance all over the world!

Have a look onto some movies too.

"B" / Basic

Those are the first 53 figures of square dance, students will learn. They usually are taught together with the approx. 20 figures of (pure) mainstream in a single class.

Badge

The badge will give information about the origin of the club, and, possibly on a separate hanger-on, the name of the dancer. It also serves as club pass. It should be worn by all members while dancing. At specials sometimes there are separate badges only for that single purpose, perhaps to be reused in the following year with an additional dangle.

Banner Stealing

Whenever at least 8 dancers of one club are attending at the club evening of an other club, they get awarded with the club sign of those. This sign will be given back to the visited club only when those will attend likewise with at least 8 dancers to the club evening in return.

"...BD"

"by definition". For instance "MBD" (Mainstream by Definition – also: MS-DBD), "DBD" (Dance by Definition), etc.
Describes the use of figures according to their definition texts, and not only out of intended starting formations.

Clothing

Dancing should differ from the everyday life. This might be achieved by traditional square dance clothing, as is prefered in the Mainstream level. From the PLUS level on dancing as such gets into the focus, thence every day's clothing becomes acceptable in according club eves. However, for public events traditional square dance clothing remains a must have.

Dangle

Dangles are small hanged-on additions to badges. Club dangles are given for attendances at foreign club eves. Also there are often actualisation dangles for the distinct badges of specials.

EAASDC

is the abbreviation for European Association of American Square Dancing Clubs

Friendship Ring

In special occasions at the end of a club eve all present ones make a big circle. They link crossed arms, sway from side to side and sing together – Lyrics.

Heads

Classifies those pairs of dancers, which face or back to the caller (alternatively: the banner). Equivalent to pair no. 1 and no. 3. Complement to Sides.

Hexagons

(Casually, but mathematically conflicting, called "Hexagon Squares" too). In contrast to normal squares, having 4 pairs of dancers, hexagons will be danced by 6 pairs. There are 2 different such types: On the one hand the "Long Rectangle" (4 Heads, 2 Sides – or the other way round), on the other hand the "Real Hexagons" (with alternating, i.e. 3 Heads and 3 Sides).

History

of square dance in general and of our club in special can be found here.

"MS" / Mainstream

"Mainstream" stand for 2 things: On the one hand it means the approx. 20 figures, following after "Basic". On the other hand it denotes the level, to be achieved by the graduation at the end of a student class, comprising together about 70 figures from "Basic" and "Mainstream".

Pattern (Call)

Pattern is a sequence of called square dance figures, mainly for exercise.
Contrasted by: Singing Call.

"+" / PLUS / "PL"

"PLUS" - always in capital letters - is the square dance programm for advanced dansers, which follows after mainstream. It also needs a special class. This level comprises further 30 figures.
Beyond the "+"-level, for even more ambitioned dancers, there will be several "A"- (= advanced) and "C"-levels (= challanged). – But, as long as nothing else is told, the general dancing level always will be Mainstreams.
On 24th March 2019 the magic moments changed from a Mainstream club into a PLUS club.

Sides

Classifies those pairs of dancers, which do not face or back to the caller (alternatively: the banner). Equivalent to pair no. 2 and no. 4. Complement to Heads.

Singing Call

The fixed sequence: Intro - 2x Figure Heads - Middle break - 2x Figure Sides - Closer.
Each part represents a stanza; intro, break, and closer each end with the same partner, in the others the women proceed one quarter. Contrasted by: Pattern Call.