Ladies' Chain (Courtesy Turn)

An online definition may be found here.

Bars: 4.

The ladies' chain used in Square and Contra dancing starts from two facing couples. The ladies move into the center and take right hands briefly as they pass by right. Meanwhile the men move over to where their partners had been. The ladies join left hands with the opposite man's left hand, she puts her right hand behind her back and he puts his right arm around her so that his right hand is now in hers. Then they turn in a circle, she going forward, he backing up until both are facing in.

Variants

In Square Dancing a Reverse Ladies' Chain would send the men into the middle to pass by left hands and be reverse courtesy turned by the opposite lady. While Four Ladies' Chain has all four ladies in the square form a right hand star, turn it half, and then be courtesy turned by the opposite man.

History

The first source for a ladies' chain with a courtesy turn is Burchenal's American Country Dances from 1918:

Ladies' Chain

This is danced by two couples facing each other, with the women on the right of their partners. The two women advance toward each other and join right hands; passing each other, they release right hands and join left hands with the opposite men. Without releasing her left hand, each man puts his right arm around the woman's waist and swings her half around, so that they face the dancers on the opposite side. All this is done in eight steps (4 measures). During the next four measures the same is repeated, so that the women return to their own partners, who swing them around in the same manner, so all finish in their original positions (8 measures).

Burchenal's ladies' chain does not quite end in a courtesy turn, as there is no indication that the ladies' right hands should receive the gentleman's hand on her waist.

Henry Ford's Good Morning, 1925, however still gives the open ladies' chain.

Lloyd Shaw's Cowboy Dances, 1948, defines on pages 127-131:

In the ladies chain two couples face each other. Each gentleman passes his lady toward the other lady. The two ladies take right hands in passing each other and then give their left hands to the left hands of the opposite gentlemen. The gentlemen put their right hands behind the ladies' waists and turn them completely around to the left as they themselves pivot in position. Each gentleman now passes his lady toward the other. The two ladies take right hands and pass again, giving their left hands to their partners this time, who again pivot and turn them to place. It is more graceful if the lady, when she gives her left hand to the gentleman, places her right hand well back on her hip, palm outward, so as to receive the gentleman's right hand when he turns her around.

Rickey Holden's The Contra Dance Book, 1956, defines ladies' chain as an over and back movement.

The CALLERLAB publication The Basic Movements of Square Dancing, 1979 defines it as:

(14) TWO LADIES CHAIN Start with two facing couples. The two laadies advance, give a right hand to the other lady, pull by, then give a left hand to the partner of the lady with whom she is chaining. The men Courtesy Turn them around in place. The movement is completed when the couples are facing. The two ladies will have changed partners.

STYLING: The two ladies take regular "handshake" holds as they start, then release hands immediately as they move ty each other and give a left to the man. Men, anticipate the approach of the lady you are to receive. In a standard Ladies Chain, starting from two facing couples, the man, after releasing his lady will move about two short steps to his right and will maneuver (turn slightly) one-quarter counter-clockwise (left face) so that his right shoulder is in toward the center of the square and he is then ready to turn the lady coming toward him.

This version is the first to use the term "courtesy turn", and the first for which the chain is not over and back.

Larry Jennings's Zesty Contras, 1983, does not define ladies' chain but he uses it in his dances, and since he says "½ W ch", one presumes that his ladies' chain is still over and back.

Some dances which (probably) use this figure

Dances for which I have animations

Note: This list may be incorrect or incomplete.

Ladies' Chain (Courtesy Turn)

Variants

History

Ladies' Chain

Some dances which (probably) use this figure

See Also