Moving as a group: circle dance and follow the leader

1Why this matters

Dancing alone, you only have to keep time with the music. Dancing in a group of ten, you must also keep time with each other, keep your spacing and change formation without collisions. Group-led movement trains exactly the skills a team sport needs: watching, communicating and reacting together.

2Circle dance

A circle dance (or chain dance) is a social dance done in a circle, semicircle or curved line. Anyone can join, and nobody needs a partner. The dancers are usually linked hand to hand or with hands on each other's shoulders, and they follow a leader around the floor. Circle dancing is probably the oldest known dance formation. It is found in cultures on every continent, often to mark celebrations and to bring a community together.

3Common circle movements

• Travelling: the whole circle moves round, using step-touches or grapevines.
• In and out: 4 steps in to the centre (often raising the joined hands), then 4 steps back out.
• Turn and clap: each dancer turns on the spot, then claps with the neighbours.

4Follow the leader

• In a line or snake, the leader at the front chooses the steps and the path, and everyone behind copies.
• In mirroring, two dancers face each other and the follower copies like a mirror image. When the leader raises the right arm, the follower raises the left.
• In shadowing, the follower stands behind the leader and copies with the same side.

5Ways a group can move in time

• Unison: everyone performs the same movement at the same time.
• Canon: the same movement is performed one after another, so it ripples through the group like a wave. Each group starts a fixed number of counts after the one before.
• Formation changes: the group moves from a circle to two lines, a V or a scattered shape, on a counted signal.

Worked example: a 32-count circle dance in canon

A class designs this 32-count circle dance:

• Counts 1–8: two grapevines to the right (travelling).
• Counts 9–16: two grapevines to the left.
• Counts 17–24: 4 steps in, raising joined hands; 4 steps out, lowering them.
• Counts 25–32: four step-touches with a clap on each touch.

They split into 4 groups for a canon, each group starting 8 counts after the one before. How many counts from the first group's start until the last group finishes? How long does that take at 112 bpm?

The last group starts 3 × 8 = 24 counts late and dances 32 counts, so the total is 24 + 32 = 56 counts.

At 112 bpm: 56 counts ÷ 112 counts per minute = 0.5 minutes = 30 seconds.

6Leading and following well

• Leaders: use clear, simple moves, call the count ("change in 5, 6, 7, 8") and watch the group, not the floor.
• Followers: keep your eyes on the leader, keep an arm's length of space, and stay with the group even when you miss a step.
• Everyone leads a turn. Adapt moves so that all can join. For example, a classmate who uses a wheelchair can lead or perform the arm patterns while the circle adapts its footwork around them.
• Safety: clear the floor of bags, dance barefoot or in shoes (never in socks on a smooth floor), and hold hands gently. Never pull a neighbour.

Practice

Solution. To his right, because a mirror image reverses left and right.

Solution. The last group starts 2 × 4 = 8 counts late; 8 + 16 = 24 counts.

Solution. Call the change in advance on the count ("grapevine in 5, 6, 7, 8") and change only at the start of a new 8-count phrase.

Solution. A circle dance needs no partner and anyone can join, while a partner dance is danced in pairs. In a circle dance the dancers are linked in a chain and follow one leader, while in a partner dance one partner leads the other.