Ocean Wave Circle ~ Levin

Ocean Wave Circle ~ Levin Ocean Wave Circle

Ocean Wave Circle ~ Levin is an Appalachian Circle Dance. It was published by Ida Levin in 1928 in Kentucky Square Dances. It is a Custom dance. It is a multipart dance. The minor set lasts 258 bars.

Ida Levin describes an early form of "square dancing" which is actually danced in a large circle. This bears some similarities to the dance which Cecil Sharp called The Running Set 10 years before.

Every "change" of a dance begins win an introduction, first Ida gives the calls for this:

  1. Join hands, circle left all the way around.
  2. Swing home
  3. Corners, too.
  4. Don't forget your partner

And then she explains what the calls mean:

  1. All couples join hands in a circle and walk to the left completely around.
  2. Partners join both hands and swing once around.
  3. Each gentleman joins both hands with the lady on his left and swings her once around.
  4. Each gentleman joins left hands with his partner and swings her once around

(At this time "Swing" was a generic term which meant roughly: "turn in a circle", it did not mean the modern partner swing.)

One essential figure for this style of dance is the do-si-do. This is not the standard back to back figure we all know. I will call it simply "do-si" so as to avoid confusion with the better known variant. Sharp, Levin and Shaw all give descriptions of the do-si-do and all of them are different. The following is how Levin says it should be called:

  1. Out to the right and circle four once around.
  2. Partners join left hands and swing half around.
  3. Give opposite your right hand and dance all the way around.
  4. Promenade, both hands joined.

Which means...

  1. First couple walks to the last couple, all four join hands in a circle and walk to the left completely around.
  2. Partners then join left hands and change places.
  3. Each gentleman joins right hands with the opposite lady and swings her completely around.
  4. Each gentleman takes his partner on his right and joins both hands crossed with the right above the left. The visiting couple passes to the right of the other one, around behind that couple's place and back to its own place in the circle. Simultaneously the other couple describes a circle following the visiting couple and finishes by turning into its own place.

After the introduction a "change" is performed. The first couple leads to the right and dances a particular figure with the second couple. Then the first couple moves right again to dance the same figure with the third couple. As they move on to the fourth couple the second couple moves right to dance with the third couple (at the same time). Both 1s&2s then move on to the 5s&4s. When they move on to the 6s&5s the third couple will start up with the 4th. And so on until everyone is dancing.

Quoted from Ida Levin:

A figure danced by all couples in the circle is called a Change. In each Change the first couple walks to the couple on the right, dances with this couple, then with the next couple on the right, and so on until it has danced with all the couples in the circle. In leading the lady to the next couple the gentleman takes her left hand in his right.

In the majority of these Changes, when the leading couple has danced with all but the last couple in the circle it does the Do si do (No 1) with this couple (...)

When the first couple moves on to the fourth couple, the second couple simultaneously walks to the couple on its right and begins dancing with this third couple (a couple must be careful not to lead off to the couple on the right too soon, and in order to avoid confusion the prompter may call "Next"). As each couple completes the trip around the circle it takes its own place in the circle and remains there, dancing with the other couples as they coume along.

When all the couples have danced the Change, the prompter calls "Swing home, corners too" (...)

...

Three Changes are called while the same couples are on the floor.


The first figure here is "Ocean Wave". It fits in the pattern of a repeated figure danced by two couples with progression. Again Ida gives calls:

  1. Ocean Wave
  2. Next couple out to the right.
  3. Swing home, corners too.

and meaning...

  1. First couple joining hands crossed with the right above the left, walks to the couple on the right. First couple walks between the second lady and gentleman. Simultaneously, as the second couple separates, it walks forward. Each gentleman takes his partner's left hand in his right and they turn left about. Second couple, joining hands crossed with the right above the left, walks between the first couple which simultaneously separates and walks forward. Both couples turn left about as before. All four join hands in a circle and walk to the left completely around.
    First gentleman joins right hands with the second lady and swings her completely around, simultaneously the second gentleman joins right hands with the first lady and swings her completely around.
    (First couple walks to the next couple on the right and continues in this manner until it has danced with all save the last couple with whom it dances Do si do.
  2. When the first couple moves on to the fourth couple the second couple simultaneously walks to the couple on its right and repeats the figure.
    Repeat this figure until all the couples have danced.
  3. Each gentleman, joining both hands with his partner swings her once around, then joining both hands with the corner, that is, the lady on his left, swings her once around.

The second figure is "Thread the Needle". This is a whole set figure, everyone is involved. (Sharp also describes this figure, only he calls it "Wind up the Ball of Yarn"). Ida's calls are as follows:

  1. Thread the Needle
  2. Swing home, corners too.

Which means...:

  1. All join hands in a circle and walk to the left completely around. The first gentleman releases the last lady's hand and winds the group as follows:
    (Note that the dancers keep their hands joined throughout the figure and that they do not turn under their own arms, that is throw the arm over the head). The last gentleman and his partner stand still and the first gentleman leads the line around toward the center of the circle of the circle and under the last gentleman's right arm. As the line goes under, the last gentleman makes a three quarter turn right and stands with his back to his partner with his right arm over his left shoulder. (He will probably try to bring his right arm over his head, but he must not do so). This end of the line stands, while the first gentleman leads the line around toward the center of the circle and under the right arm of the next to the last lady. As the line goes under, this lady makes a three-quarter turn right and stands with her back to the last gentleman. The first gentleman continues leading the line under the right arm of each person in turn until all are standing with the right arm over the left shoulder.
    The first gentleman and the last lady then join hands, and the circle walks forward until the prompter calls, "All Stand Still and Leader Unwind." Then the first gentleman and the last lady release their hold, and the first gentleman unwinds the group as follows: he leads away from the center of the circle, around behind the first lady and under the second gentleman's left arm. As the first gentleman goes under toward the center of the circle, the first lady turns left about (she must not try to put her arm over her head) and finds she has unwound her right arm from around her neck. The first gentleman leads away from the center of the circle again and pushes the first lady backward under the second lady's left arm. As the first lady goes under, the second gentleman turns left about, unwinding his right arm from around his neck. The first gentleman leads around again and pushes the second gentleman under the third gentleman's left arm. As he does so the second lady turns left about. As the line goes under, the first lady follows the second gentleman and the first gentleman follows her. Thus the line is pulled through under the arm of each person in succession, the one standing in front of the person under whose arm they go is the first to go under and pulls the line after him. It will be noted that the first gentleman is always the last to go under. They continue until all are unwound.
  2. Each gentleman, joining both hands with his partner swings her once around, then joining both hands with the corner, that is, the lady on his left, swings her once around.

The animation plays at 120 counts per minute normally, but the first time through the set the dance will often be slowed down so people can learn the moves more readily. Men are drawn as rectangles, women as ellipses. Each couple is drawn in its own color, however the border of each dancer indicates what role they currently play so the border color may change each time through the minor set.

Figure
 
1-11s, in promenade hold, lead out to the right
2-5Ocean wave: 1s+2s change places, 1s between 2s, wheel around, 2s+1s change places, 2s between 1s, wheel around
6-9Circle four
10-12Turn opposite all the way round by the right
13-13On to the next
14-17Ocean wave: actives split inactives, wheel around, inactives split actives, wheel around
18-21Circle four
22-24Turn opposite all the way round by the right
25-252nd couple starts, 1s+2s on to the right
26-29Ocean wave: actives split inactives, wheel around, inactives split actives, wheel around
30-33Circle four
34-36Turn opposite all the way round by the right
37-371s+2s on to the right
38-41Ocean wave: actives split inactives, wheel around, inactives split actives, wheel around
42-45Circle four
46-48Turn opposite all the way round by the right
49-493s start, 1s+2s+3s on to the right
50-53Ocean wave: actives split inactives, wheel around, inactives split actives, wheel around
54-57Circle four
58-60Turn opposite all the way round by the right
61-611s+2s+3s on to the right
62-65Ocean wave: actives split inactives, wheel around, inactives split actives, wheel around
66-69Circle four
70-72Turn opposite all the way round by the right
73-734s start, 1s+2s+3s+4s on to the right
74-771s+8s do si, others ocean wave: actives split inactives, wheel around, inactives split actives, wheel around
78-81Circle four
82-84Turn opposite all the way round by the right
85-851s stay home, 2s+3s+4s on to the right
86-89Ocean wave: actives split inactives, wheel around, inactives split actives, wheel around
90-93Circle four
94-96Turn opposite all the way round by the right
97-975s start, 2s+3s+4s+5s on to the right
98-1012s+1s do-si, others: ocean wave
102-105Circle four
106-108Turn opposite all the way round by the right
109-1092s stay home, 3s+4s+5s on to the right
110-113Ocean wave: actives split inactives, wheel around, inactives split actives, wheel around
114-117Circle four
118-120Turn opposite all the way round by the right
121-1216s start, 3s+4s+5s+6s on to the right
122-1253s+2s do-si, others: ocean wave
126-129Circle four
130-132Turn opposite all the way round by the right
133-1333s stay home, 4s+5s+6s on to the right
134-137Ocean wave: actives split inactives, wheel around, inactives split actives, wheel around
138-141Circle four
142-144Turn opposite all the way round by the right
145-1457s start, 4s+5s+6s+7s on to the right
146-1494s+3s do-si, others: ocean wave
150-153Circle four
154-156Turn opposite all the way round by the right
157-1574s stay home, 5s+6s+7s on to the right
158-161Ocean wave: actives split inactives, wheel around, inactives split actives, wheel around
162-165Circle four
166-168Turn opposite all the way round by the right
169-1698s start, 5s+6s+7s+8s on to the right
170-1735s+4s do-si, others: ocean wave
174-177Circle four
178-180Turn opposite all the way round by the right
181-1811s finish, 5s stay home, 6s+7s+8s on to the right
182-185Ocean wave: actives split inactives, wheel around, inactives split actives, wheel around
186-189Circle four
190-192Turn opposite all the way round by the right
193-1932s finish, 7s+8s on to the right
194-1976s+5s do-si, others: ocean wave
198-201Circle four
202-204Turn opposite all the way round by the right
205-2053s finish, 6s stay home, 7s+8s on to the right
206-209Ocean wave: actives split inactives, wheel around, inactives split actives, wheel around
210-213Circle four
214-216Turn opposite all the way round by the right
217-2174s finish, 7s+8s on to the right
218-2217s+6s do-si, others: ocean wave
222-225Circle four
226-228Turn opposite all the way round by the right
229-2295s finish, 7s stay home, 8s on to the right
230-233Ocean wave: actives split inactives, wheel around, inactives split actives, wheel around
234-237Circle four
238-240Turn opposite all the way round by the right
241-2416s finish, 8s on to the right
242-2527s+8s do-si and finish
253-255Everyone partner two hand turn
256-258Everyone corner two hand turn

If you find what you believe to be a mistake in this animation, please leave a comment on youtube explaining what you believe to be wrong. If I agree with you I shall do my best to fix it.

If you wish to link to this animation please see my comments on the perils of youtube. You may freely link to this page, of course, and that should have no problems, but use one of my redirects when linking to the youtube video itself:
https://www.upadouble.info/redirect.php?id=OceanWaveCircle-Levin

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The dance is copyright © 1928 by Ida Levin. My visualization of this dance is copyright © 2023 by George W. Williams V and is released under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

This website is copyright © 2021,2022,2023,2024 by George W. Williams V
Creative Commons License My work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Most of the dances have more restrictive licensing, see my notes on copyright, the individual dance pages should mention when some rights are waived.