Ocean Wave Circle ~ Levin

Ocean Wave Circle ~ Levin Ocean Wave Circle

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.

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