French Eight Idea

Formation: Square of four couples with any gender combination

Music: Any singing call with clear 4-beat phrasing

Download RTF file: French Eight Idea

Prompts:

Prompts:
Intro or
57-64   #1s go across;
    1-8   Pick up #3s and bring them in; – – Push them home;
  9-16   Return back home; – #2s go across;
17-24   Pick up #4s and bring them in; – – Push them home;

25-32   Return back home; – all Circle Left;
33-40   – – – -; – – Allemande Left;
41-48   Come back to partner; – – all Promenade;
49-56   – – – -; – – – -;

Repeat starting with #2s across, #3s across and #4s across.

Description:

    1-8   Dancers in Couple #1 (nearest top of hall) take four steps to walk across the square to join their free outside hands with Couple #3. Couple #1 backs up pulling Couple #3 with them 4 steps into the center of the square.
  9-16   Couple #1 pushes Couple #3 back to their home location in 4 steps. Couple #1 leaves Couple #3 and then Couple #1 backs up 4 steps into their home position.
17-24   Couple #2 (on the right side of Couple #1) repeats the action of Couple #1 picking up Couple #4 and pulling them into the center of the square.
25-32   Couple #2 pushes Couple #4 back to their home, leaves them there and then Couple #2 backs up into their home position.

33-40   All eight dancers join hands and Circle to the Left for about 8 steps.
41-48   Dancers face their corner and Allemande Left (join left forearms and walk counter-clockwise around each other until facing partner).
49-64   Partners take Promenade handhold (shake right hands and join left hands underneath) and Promenade (couples walk counter-clockwise) around the square back to their home.

Choreography by: Idea from Traditional Square Dance called the French Eight

Source: Printed in CD Journal, December 2009

Usage: This is a very simple, genderless square dance figure.
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