Grand Square Quadrille – Helt

Formation: Four couples in a square formation
Music: “Grand Square” on EZ 717 or something with a marching beat that repeats four times.

Download RTF file: Grand Square Quadrille – Helt

Prompts:
Intro or
57-64   – – – -; Sides face partner, Grand Square;
    1-8   – – – -; – – – -;
  9-16   – – – -; – – – Reverse;
17-24   – – – -; – – – -;
25-32   – – – -; Four men Forward and Back;
33-40   – – – -; Men Left-Hand Star;
41-48   – – – -; Pass by partner, Promenade the next;
49-56   – – – -; – – – -;

Description:
    1-8   Sides turn to face their partner and back away 4 steps turning a quarter to face in on the fourth step and then walk forward four steps to meet their opposite turning a quarter to face in on the fourth step. Meanwhile the Heads walk forward 4 steps to meet their opposite turning to face their partner on the fourth step and then back away 4 steps turning a quarter to face their opposite on the fourth step.
  9-16   The Sides walk forward 4 steps to meet their partner turning to face their opposite on the fourth step and then back away 4 steps. Meanwhile the Heads back away four steps turning a quarter to face in on the fourth step and then walk forward 4 steps to meet their partner.
17-24   The dancers now reverse the pattern retracing their path but using the same facing direction for each section as in the first 16 beats. Dancers never turn their back on the center of the square. After four steps everyone turns one quarter either to face their partner or to face their opposite. When dancers are nearby the one they are facing they back away, when they are far apart they walk
forward to meet.
25-32   Continue the Grand Square back to home.

33-40   The four men move forward 3 steps and touch then back up 3 steps and touch.
41-48   The four men make a Left-Hand Star and turn it once around.
49-56   The men pass their partner and pick up the next lady to Promenade her back to their home position.
57-64   Continue the Promenade maintaining a tight square with the men shoulder to shoulder so that everyone is home in time to begin the next Grand Square.

Repeats: The dance goes through a total of four times.

Choreography by: Jerry Helt
Source: Community Dance Program Handbook;
Usage: This appears to be a gentle introduction to Grand Square; however, it requires the ladies to be able to dance both the head and the side part with ease.

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