Open the Door

Formation: Square (Couple #1 back to caller, #2 to their right, etc.)
Music: The source suggested “The Campbells Are Coming”.

Download RTF file: Open The Door

Prompts:
Intro or
121-128 First lady lead and the gent follow,
                Out to the right and go behind;
    1-8   Go round that couple in the grass and the dew,
                Lady in the lead and the gent drop through;
  9-16   Gent in the lead and you open the door,
                Lady go through and Circle four ;
17-24   Four hands up, once around,
                Big foot up and little foot down;
25-32   Right and Left Through and lead to the next;
                Lady lead out and go behind ;

33-64   (Repeat for couple 1 around couple 3)
65-96   (Repeat for couple 1 around couple 4)

97-104   Now don’t forget the Left Allemande,
                And away we go on a Right and Left Grand;
105-112   Oh, the ace is high the deuce is low,
                Meet your partner, Promeno (Promenade);
113-120   – – – -, All Swing in your places all;

Repeat for second, third, and fourth couples.

Description:
    1-8   The first lady (lady in couple #1) and her partner turn to the right and circle the second couple counter-clockwise. The lady goes around both dancers in couple #2 but the gent cuts through between the pair and takes the lead as he turns to the left.
  9-16   The gent now leads the second time around, this time going all the way around. As they pass behind the second couple the first lady cuts through to stand in front of the second gent.
17-24   The same four Circle to the Left once around.
25-32   Those four Right and Left Thru adjusting for the active couple to continue on around the outside to the next couple with the lady in the lead. The inactive couple should also continue their turn back into their home spot. (Traditional dances are often flexible in this regard.) .

Choreography: Traditional square dance figure
Source: From Wes McVicar’s 75 Favorite Square Dance Calls which was printed in 1949. This dance was printed in the CD Journal in March 2007.
Usage: Without proper restraint this can be a bit wild. Emphasize the idea that the Chase is a graceful dance action in a pattern, not a race.

This page from http://dances.callerlab.org (CALLERLAB Dance Resource)