There are several basic concepts that callers must have total control over. The first is the relationship of partners. The second is the concept of sequence. These two concepts are closely related. Starting with partnership relationships, here are the bare-bones. There are 8 and only 8 possible partner pairings in symmetric choreography, ignoring sequence (for the time being) 1. All men with partners 2. All men with Right Hand Ladies 3. All men with Opposites 4. All men with Corners 5. Hd men with Partners, Sd men with opposites 6. Hd men with Opposites, Sd men with Partners 7. Hd men with Corners, Sd men with Right Hand Ladies 8. Hd men with Right Hand Ladies, Sd men with Corners Stop a minute. Re-read these 8 possible partner pairings. Understand that these are the only pairings available. And understand that if you KNOW what one man (Hd or Sd) has for a partner, you KNOW that there are only TWO possibilities for pairings for the other man (Hd or Sd). Examples: 1. If Hd men have orig partners, Sd men can ONLY have orig Partners or orig Opposites 2. If Hd men have orig opposites, Sd men can ONLY have orig Partners or orig Opposites 3. If Hd men have orig Corners, Sd men can ONLY have orig Corners or orig Right Hand Lady 4. If Hd men have orig Right Hand Lady, Sd men can ONLY have orig Corners or orig Right Hand Lady That s it! The above statements are absolute. Now, let s look at these absolute conditions and see how they apply in the simplest setup, the Static Square. Grab checkers and check them out this way. 1. With checkers, Static Square, put Hd men with original partners. Try to pair the Sd men with any other lady and observe that the only possibility is that Sd men can ONLY have their original partners, or their original Opposites. 2. Do the same with each of the remaining conditions above, 2 thru 4, and satisfy yourself that these in fact are the ONLY possibilities. Once this is well established in your understanding, let s see how we can ACQUIRE certain partners. There are only 3 RULES that determine acquisition of particular partner pairings. There s an element of relativity involved in these RULES. 1
1. RULE 1. For Hd men to acquire the opposite lady from whatever lady they now have, the Hd men must first change ladies with one Sd couple, and then with the other Sd couple. Now, we have to prove the value of this RULE. Just as we will with the remaining 2 RULES. Set up your checkers and follow these examples. From STATIC SQUARE Assume all men have original Parnters. Hd ladies, to the right, Chain (changes ladies with one Sd cple) (New) Hd ladies, to the left, Chain (changes with the other Sd Cple) All men have now acquired their original Opposite ladies. Do this same exercise while Hd men start with original Corners, Opposites and Right Hand Ladies and experience the fact that when completed, each Man acquires the opposite lady relative to whichever lady they start with. Practical Application: Set your checkers up from 1p2p lines (like, Hds lead right and Circle to a Line). See how each of these call sequences fulfills the stipulations in RULE 1, that Hd men chain first with one Sd couple, then the other: a. Two Ladies Chain. Bend the Line. Two Ladies Chain. ALL men acquire original Opposites b. Two Ladies Chain. Pass Thru. Bend the Line. Two Ladies Chain. c. Star Thru. Pass Thru. Trade By. Star Thru. d. Square Thru 2. Trade By. Slide Thru. e. Square Thru 4. Trade By. Square Thru 2. [Partner Trade]. f. [Set up an 8-Chain Thru, any symmetric partner pairing]. Two Ladies Chain. Pass Thru. Trade By. Two Ladies Chain. g. [Set up an 8-Chain Thru, any symmetric partner pairing]. Star Thru. Pass Thru. Bend the Line. Star Thru. Repeat the same exercises, but start with ANY symmetric partner pairing and discover that the acquired partner is the OPPOSITE of the starting partner pairing. As an aside, the last example, g, is referred to as Invert and Rotate. Understanding and utilizing this example will allow you to avoid always have the geometry of the dancers running just one way. 2. RULE 2. For men to acquire the original lady to their left (Corner lady), Hd men must chain first with each other, then with the original couple to their left. 2
This rule is very interesting in its application. Here are several implementations of this Rule. a. Hd Ladies Chain. New Hd Lady, to the left, Chain. b. Hds Square Thru 4 (this equates to Hd ladies chaining with each other). Slide Thru (this equates to the Hd man and his new partner chaining with the original couple to his left.) Lady acquired for ALL men, original Corners. c. Hds Flutter Wheel, Hds Lead Right, Veer Left, Chain Down the Line d. Hds Pass the Ocean, Ping Pong Circulate, Extend, Slide Thru The primary function within this RULE is that the Hds change ladies first with each other (which happens in the Pass the Ocean, then with the original couple to their left (occurs with the Slide Thru). 1. Rule 3. For men to acquire the original lady to their right (Right Hand lady), Hd men must chain first with each other, then with the original couple to their right. This rule is really a corollary to RULE 2. It s really the ONLY other alternative, in symmetric choreography. Once again, set up checkers and move them through these moves until you are totally comfortable with how this RULE works. After each move, ask Who you got? a. Hd Ladies Chain. New Hd Lady, to the right, Chain. b. Hds Square Thru 2. Slide Thru. c. Hds Reverse Flutter Wheel. Hds Leads Left. Slide Thru. d. Hds Pass the Ocean. Extend. Slide Thru As the choreography becomes more complex, it s less obvious how these RULES apply. But, they do, and in all cases. These RULES are incontrovertible. That being said, it s absolutely imperative that we practice by moving checkers and observe how these rules apply. It may be confusing at first, but then the light will dawn. There are corollaries to RULES 2 and 3. Invert the chaining sequence and the results reverse. RULE 2. For men to acquire the original lady to their left (Corner lady), Hd men must chain first with each other, then with the original couple to their left. Corollary: If men exchange first with the couple to their left, then with each other, they acquire the relative original lady to the right (their right hand lady.) Examples: Hd Ladies, to the left Chain, Hd Ladies Chain across. (All men get relative Right hand Ladies.) Hds Lead Left, Slide Thru, Pass Thru, Wheel and Deal, Zoom, Flutter Wheel (All men have relative Right Hand Ladies beside them.) 3
Hds Lead Right, Circle 2 Line, Flutter Wheel, Pass Thru, Wheel and Deal, Flutter Wheel (All men have relative Right Hand Ladies beside them because they changed first with the side couple to their left, then with each other in the center.) Rule 3. For men to acquire the original lady to their right (Right Hand lady), Hd men must chain first with each other, then with the original couple to their right. Corollary: If men exchange first with the couple to their right, and then with each other, they acquire the relative original lady to the left (their original corner.) Examples: Hds Lead Right, Flutter Wheel, Veer Left, Ferris Wheel, Reverse Flutter Wheel (All men have relative corners beside them) Hds Touch ¼, Walk and Dodge, Slide Thru, Pass Thru, Wheel and Deal, Zoom, Flutter Wheel Notice this. In all cases above, the couples first exchange with an outside couple, and then must maneuver to the center to work with each other. They can also start in center, but then must move to an outside couple to complete. This is important. Let s look at some contemporary choreography and see how the RULES come into play. Assumptions: There are two basic setups that are pivotal to our understanding to choreography. The Zero Line, and the Zero Box. We need to analyze various choreography from both these base line setups. First exercise is to determine which of the RULES comes into play in each sequence. Ignore flow so we can analyze the results, not how we got there. See if you can identify the pairings as well Zero Line: a. Pass the Ocean, Circulate, Slide Thru RULE? PAIRINGS? b. Square Thru 4, Trade By, Slide Thru RULE? PAIRINGS? c. Flutter Wheel, Pass Thru, Bend Line, Flutter Wheel RULE? PAIRINGS? d. Flutter Wheel, Pass Thru, Wheel Deal, Flutter Wheel RULE? PAIRINGS? Zero Box: a. Square Thru 2, Bend the Line, Slide Thru RULE? PAIRINGS? b. Slide Thru, Square Thru 2, Trade By, Slide Thru RULE? PAIRINGS? c. Single Circle to Wave, All 8 Circulate, Boys Run RULE? PAIRINGS? d. Flutter Wheel, Veer Left, Ferris Wheel, Flutter Wheel RULE? PAIRINGS? e. Centers U-Turn Back, Swing Thru, Extend, Slide Thru RULE? PAIRINGS? 4
How does Sequence fit in? This is interesting because the two sequence states, IN sequence and OUT sequence can apply to both women and men separately. But, in combination with determining partner pairings, the real question is this: Are both men and women in the SAME sequence state, or in DIFFERENT sequence states? Why? Because the RULES (which are absolute) have a different result, actually an opposite result, when the relative sequence state of men and women changes. This is the central concept behind Technical Zeros, which are discussed later. What we are talking about is RELATIVE sequence. That is, the sequence of the men relative to the sequence of the women. Relative sequence can be either SAME or MIXED. Here some examples that need examination. Case 1. Hds Square Thru 4 does NOT change the RELATIVE sequence. From Home position, all men and women are in sequence. After the Square Thru, the RELATIVE sequence is still the same, both IN sequence. Relative sequence is SAME. However, the relative pairing is MIXED. Case 2. Hds Lead Right changes the RELATIVE sequence. From Home position, where all men and women are in sequence, after the call the men are OUT of sequence, the women are IN sequence. Therefore, Relative Sequence is MIXED. But, the relative pairings are SAME. What is the significant difference? It s that in case 1, the Hd men have changed partners. In case 2, the Hd men have NOT changed partners. In Case 1, if the Hd men change partners again with a Sd couple, one of our RULES will apply. In Case 1. Here, the Hd men have changed partners with each other. After this, if they change with either Sd couple, RULES 2 or 3 must apply. In Case 2. Here, the Hd men have NOT changed partners. After this they will either retain their original partner, or will change partners with either of the Sd couples. Since this is only a single ladies chain, none of our RULES apply since we must change partners with another couple before any of the RULES apply. From this point, if the partner pairings change, we know that the pairings will be MIXED, meaning that partners of Hd and Sd men will NOT be SAME. Example: 1. Hds Lead Right (all men with orig Partners) Same pairings, Mixed Sequence Slide Thru (Hd men with orig RHL, Sd men with Corners) = Mixed pairings, Mixed Sequence 2. Hds Lead Right (all men with orig Partners) Swing Thru (does NOT chain ladies) 5
Boys Run (establish a normal pairing) All men with original partners, Same pairings, Same Sequence TECHNICAL ASPECTS The expression TECHNICAL has a special meaning in our choreography. It means that the setup is essentially the same for choreographic purposes, but the roles of the Hds and Sds have interchanged. This is demonstrated by the following sequence. Setup: From Static Square, Go to Zero Box: Hds Square Thru 4 Now, go to another Zero Box: Slide Thru, Pass Thru, Bend the Line, Slide Thru Result: Zero Box, but the roles of the Hds and Sds has changed. This particular combination is referred to as Invert and Rotate. The purpose is to move the dancers to another location, but result in the exact same setup they were in before being moved, namely, a Zero Box. This Technical flipping of the setup is due to the fact that RULE 1 is invoked. Hd couples chain first with one Sd couple, then the other. This accomplishes a 4 ladies chain effect, giving each man the opposite lady from the one he started with. The Hd man started with his opposite lady (after the Square Thru 4), and they were paired in the center of an 8-chain thru setup. The Sd man is paired with his partner and is on the outside of an 8-chain thru setup. This setup is known as Zero Box After execution of the calls, the Hd man chains ladies with one side couple (first Slide Thru), and later with the other Sd couple (second Slide Thru). RULE 1 tells us that when this happens, all dancers acquire the relative opposite dancer as a partner. The result is that the Hd man is now paired with his original partner on the outside of an 8-chain thru, and the Sd man is paired with his opposite in the center of an 8-chain thru. There is a sequence issue, but we ll get to that later. From a setup viewpoint, a zero has occurred in the sense that the dancers are back in a Zero Box. It is a TECHNICAL EQUIVALENT in the sense that the roles of the Hds and Sds are interchanged. Therefore we can t say it is EXACTLY the same setup. From the initial setup, an Allemande Left is appropriate. From the resulting setup, an Allemande Left is also appropriate even though the roles of the Hds and Sds have flipped. Just knowing that Rule 1 applies tells the caller that this is so. This is an example that illustrates the importance of owning the concepts of the partner pairing RULES. 6
SEQUENCE The role that sequence plays is this: It narrows our alternatives down to two possible solutions. For the most part, we don t follow precise sequence of both men and women as a sequence develops. What becomes important is to know when RELATIVE sequence changes. RELATIVE sequence means, the sequence of the men in relation to the sequence of the women. The two RELATIVE sequence states are SAME and MIXED. SAME relative sequence is when both men and women share the same sequence state, both are IN sequence, or both are OUT of sequence. MIXED relative sequence is when the men have one sequence state, and women have the other. Partner pairing RULES are unaffected by relative sequence. ZEROS are directly affected. Relative sequence is the basis for TECHNICAL ZEROS. A ZERO that works in one relative sequence state, but not in the other relative sequence state, is a TECHNICAL ZERO. In relation to pairings, application of a TECHNICAL ZERO in the relative sequence state where it does not act like a zero will ALWAYS result in a four ladies chain affect. This is how technical zeros relate to the partner pairing discussion. The easiest example of this is with the call Bend the Line. Is Bend the Line a zero? No. It is a TECHNICAL ZERO in that it acts like a true zero in the SAME relative sequence state, but not in the MIXED sequence state. Example: From a 1p2p lines, (Hds Lead Right, Circle to a Line) which is a SAME sequence state (both men and women share the same relative sequence state, both are IN sequence) Resolve: Slide Thru, Square thru ¾, Allemande Left Now, Bend the Line and apply the same getout. It works, even though the Hd couples are now working with the other Sd couple. Here, Bend the Line is acting like a TRUE ZERO when it is applied in the SAME sequence state. But, let s change the sequence state from SAME to MIXED and see what happens when we incorporate a Bend the Line into the formula. 7
From 1o2p lines, (Hd ladies chain, Hds Lead Right, Circle to a Line). Dancers are now in a MIXED sequence state because men are IN sequence and ladies are OUT of sequence. Resolve: Touch ¼, Men use left hands and pull by, Grand Right and Left Ok. Works real well. But now, call a Bend the Line first. If Bend the Line is always a TRUE ZERO, then the same getout above should work. From the 1o2p line, Bend the Line, Touch ¼, Men use left hands and pull by, Grand Right and Left The dancers can still execute the calls without issues. But, the result is that every man now has his original opposite lady for a new partner. This is the Four Ladies Chain affect that results from applying a working getout from a MIXED sequence state. This is also why we just proved that Bend the Line is actually a TECHNICAL ZERO and not a TRUE ZERO. Newer callers often run into this phenomenon without realizing why it happened. They call a getout that they know has worked in the past, but somehow the dancers all ended up with opposites instead of partners. Now you know why this happens. Practical Application: Always be aware of when dancers are in a SAME or MIXED sequence state. An easy exercise is this: Place your checkers in a Box 1-4, or zero box (Hds Square Thru 4). Note the relative sequence is SAME. Now, perform a series of Sweep 1/4s to the left. After the first one the relative sequence is MIXED. After the second one, relative sequence is SAME (both men and women are out of sequence.) After the 3 rd, relative sequence is MIXED. And after the 4 th (dancers all back to the zero box), relative sequence is once again SAME. From the Zero Box, in which we know all dancers are in the SAME relative sequence, perform a series of four Slide Thrus. After each one, the relative sequence remains SAME. Even though the dancers are individually moving in and out of sequence, they are moving together, so the relative sequence remains unchanged, regardless of the fact they are changing partners each time. Conclusion: With no partner changes, rotational movement of the dancers toggles relative sequence. But similar rotational movement that does change partners does not toggle relative sequence. Practical Application: From 1c2c lines (Hds Square Thru, Slide Thru), relative sequence is SAME. Pass Thru, Bend the Line, Slide Thru, Allemande left. Works fine. 8
Bend the Line, Pass Thru, Bend the Line, Slide Thru, Allemande Left. Also works, even though the dancers are sort of going the other way. The Bend the Line is acting like a TRUE ZERO. Now, place dancers in a similar, but MIXED sequence state. From 1o2p lines (Hds Square Thru, Veer Left, Bend the Line [flow sucks, so don t call that]) Pass Thru, Wheel and Deal, Zoom, Centers Pass Thru, Allem-RLG. Wonderful. But what happens here? Bend the Line, Pass Thru, Wheel and Deal, Zoom Centers Pass Thru, Allem-RLG. Sort of works. Dancers will do it. But the result? All dancers are with opposites, not partners. Now, the clever caller, who didn t see it coming but spots the result right when the dancers begin their Right and Left Grand, will call out.but on the 3 rd hand, Promenade. Dodged the bullet because he knew he inadvertently used a Technical Zero from a Mixed Sequence State that results in dancers acquiring their original opposites instead of their original partners. Since original opposites are half way around the square, cut the Grand Right and Left in half (3 hands instead of 5) and all dancers will acquire their original partners again. If you ve got grasp of the concept, you can explain why this happened. It s because, Bend the Line is a TECHNICAL ZERO. And when you use a TECHNICAL ZERO in a MIXED sequence state, it results in a Four Ladies Chain effect. It s only when a TECHNICAL ZERO is used in a SAME sequence state that the TECHNICAL ZERO acts like a TRUE ZERO. ACEY DEUCY EFFECT This very important concept is what most competent callers use most of the time to transpose the square from a generalized Box 1-4 (corner Box) resolution path to a generalized Zero Line (1p2p) resolution path. The guts of this mechanism is accomplishing a two ladies chain with only two couples, either Hds or Sds. What s really interesting is that Two Ladies Chain is seldom used in the transition. As it turns out, when ever two individual dancers cross the imaginary, very-center line of the square, the Acey Deucy effect occurs. This happens with single circulates, and with column circulates, or with most of the <Anything> Chain Thru family. It s checker time. Get them out. Perhaps the easiest visualization is this: Hds Lead Right 9
Here, the dancers can Circle to a Line and arrive at a 1p2p line. From this point, the caller can apply any canned getout commonly used for the generalized partner-paired line, like Slide Thru, Square Thru 3/4. Instead of circling to a line, have the two center ladies exchange places, as if they had done two ladies chain in the center. Just move your checkers so the two inside girls change places with each other. Having them do this results in the Acey Deucy effect (see how just the two girls cross that imaginary center line of the square?). Now, you should be immediately thinking I m not going to get them in lines to resolve, instead I ll get that center couple to face the other outside couple and they can do an allemande left. You resolution path has changed. You re now thinking about going to a Zero Box for resolution and not paired lines. That s how important the Acey Deucy effect is on mentally following dancers. Another way to approach this is to artificially allow yourself a maximum of 3 calls to resolve. What s the first question that runs through your mind? Are the dancers closer to a generalized paired line, or a zero box? Another way to ask the same question is, Are all the dancers very near a same pairing, or very near having two paired and two unpaired (our MIXED pairing state)? Because this is what the Acey Deucy effect does. It toggles the dancers from SAME pairings to MIXED pairings. In our example, after the Heads Lead Right, all dancers have SAME pairings. Once the two inside girls exchange places, all dancers are then in a MIXED pairing state. You don t even have to care what the pairings are. You know automatically that an Acey Deucy effect will toggle the dancers from one state to the other. When does this come into play? When you see one couple paired and the other couple is not paired, and you want to get all dancers paired, use a call sequence that results in the Acey Deucy effect. Doing so will toggle the pairing state of the dancers But there is a caveat here. If you see one couple paired, and you re not sure about the other couple so you apply an Acey Deucy sequence, keep an eye on your first recognized paired couple. They may end up unpaired depending on the relative sequence state that existed when you called the sequence of calls that resulted in the Acey Deucy effect. What is it you actually see in your mind s eye when you recognize that one couple is paired? Since you now completely own the concept of pairings you know automatically that the other couple can only have original partner or original opposite. There are no other possibilities! This means that the dancers are either in an all paired setup, or in a setup where one couple is paired and other is unpaired. If you finally determine the other couple is also paired, for instance, you can go to a Zero Line resolution path. But if you simply don t want to go to a Zero Line resolution path applying the A/D effect will toggle 10
the setup to a one couple paired, one unpaired setup. From that point, you can pursue the Zero Box resolution path. [As a side note, we ve proven mathematically that the Zero Box resolution path occurs twice more often than the Zero Line resolution path in normal calling. This is due to the percentage of relative pairings of the 16 possible pairings in any normalized formation in which partner pairings (men and women) can be established. 67% of the pairings relate to the Zero Box setup. Ever notice how often callers resolve to a Zero Box rather than a Zero Line? The Zero Box resolution is used much more often. Now you know why. It s the math.] We need to analyze this strictly by viewing the pairings just before calling the sequence that results in the A/D effect. What we ll see is that the A/D effect actually rotates all the girls or all the boys either clockwise or counterclockwise one position. This is easily viewed from columns. What does a column circulate do? It moves the dancers one position CW (for right hand columns) one position. Relative pairing will NOT toggle though. If we start out in SAME relative pairing, each circulate will result in a SAME pairing state. If we start in a MIXED pairing state, each circulate will result in another MIXED pairing state. We all know that from a 1p2p line, if we Touch ¼, Circulate, Boys Run we get to a Zero Box, which is a MIXED pairing state. But, didn t we start from a SAME pairing state, all with original partners in a line? Yes, but remember that the column circulate carries the A/D effect, not the Touch ¼. Once we Touch ¼, the column is in a MIXED pairing state. This is why we end in a MIXED pairing state. If we chain the ladies first before we Touch ¼, then the Touch ¼ will put us in a SAME pairing state. The column circulate will then leave us in a SAME pairing state. After the Boys Run, we can expect to be in a SAME pairing state. Try it. Did you see that every man acquired their Right Hand Lady as a partner? Practical Examples: Set your checkers up so that men are out of sequence and all men have their original partner beside them in a right hand column that reads from the top or front of each column as gbgb. (from 1p2p, ladies chain, all touch ¼). Note this setup is a SAME pairing state, all with original partners, and a MIXED sequence state, men out, girls in sequence. Now, do a series of 4 column circulates, stopping after each one to note what the new side-byside pairings are after each circulate. START: All paired with original partners 1 st Circ: All paired with original right hand lady 2 nd Circ: All paired with original opposite lady 3 rd Circ: All paired with original corner lady 4 th Circ: All back with original partners 11
The rotation in this case was women rotating CW progressively to each man. Each circulate resulted in the A/D effect, as can readily be seen in this next exercise. Set the exact same exercise up again and proceed through it. Observe, this time, only one half of the square, the box of 4 dancers on the left or the box of 4 dancers on the right. Ask yourself, if I had to resolve after each circulate, would I go to the ZERO BOX resolution path, or the ZERO LINE resolution path? Start: ZERO LINE, because the boys are closest to a same relative pairing, their partners 1 st Circ: ZERO BOX, because the boys are closest to a mixed pairing, one paired, the other not 2 nd Circ: ZERO LINE, because the boys are closest to a same relative pairing, all opposites 3 rd Circ: ZERO BOX, because the boys are closest to a mixed pairing, one paired, the other not 4 th Circ: ZERO LINE, because the boys are closest to a same relative pairing, all partners Now, challenge yourself by setting up those same, normally arranged right hand columns starting with every imaginable partner pairings in the lines before you do the Touch ¼ to set up the columns. Your observations should be the same, relatively speaking. That is, after each circulate the resulting setup will either point you toward a ZERO LINE getout (since all pairings will be relatively the same) or a ZERO BOX getout (because all pairings will be relatively mixed pairings.) These states toggle back and forth due to the toggling effect which is the core characteristic of Acey Deucy. Lastly, what calls yield the A/D effect? Any call that exchanges only two dancers through the very center of the square. Here s a short list. 1. Column Circulate 2. From parallel waves, either Ends or Centers Circulate (but not both at once!) 3. Same for Two Faced Lines 4. 3x1 Lines where centers are facing out, All 8 Circulate 5. Guess what? Acey Deucy! 6. Spin Chain Thru Invert and Rotate We need to own this concept because it gives the dancers a different perspective as they move around the geometry of the square. Invert and Rotate essentially changes the 2x4 geometry of the dancers by 90 degrees. Here are the rules that allow us to follow the dancers (mentally) as they transition from one eight chain thru setup to an Invert-and-Rotate eight chain thru setup. 12
RULE 1. If the relative pairing is MIXED and the relative sequence is SAME, the call sequence that moved the dancers to the Invert-and-Rotate setup is a TECHNICAL ZERO. RULE 2. If the relative pairing is SAME and the relative sequence is MIXED, the call sequence that moved the dancers to the Invert-and-Rotate results in a 4-Ladies Chain effect. Gosh! Where have we seen that before? Remember what happens when we apply a Technical Zero in a MIXED sequence state? Before we do any examples, I want you to prove that this next statement is true. In an eight chain thru setup, we can never have a SAME pairing and SAME sequence situation. Nor can we have a MIXED pairing and MIXED sequence situation simultaneously. What about lines? Move those checkers and discover that in lines, just the opposite is true. In lines, we cannot have MIXED sequence without having MIXED pairings. And we cannot have SAME sequence with MIXED pairings. Both states must be the same when dancers are in lines. If you have lines with MIXED pairings, the sequence state must also be MIXED, and vice versa. Practical Application: Move your checkers. Zero Box = Hds Square Thru 4 Both these examples apply RULE 1 A Zero Box is a setup where the formation is eight chain thru, the relative pairing is MIXED and the relative sequence is SAME. Slide Thru, Pass Thru, Bend the Line, Slide Thru = Zero, but square inverts 90 degrees Right and Left Thru, Slide Thru, Pass Thru, Bend the Line, Slide Thru = Zero, but square inverts Both these rules apply RULE 2 An eight chain thru formation arrived at by having Hds Lead Right, is a SAME pairing, MIXED sequence state. Slide Thru, Pass Thru, Bend the Line, Slide Thru = 4 ladies chain effect Right and Left Thru, Slide Thru, Pass Thru, Bend the Line, Slide Thru = 4 ladies chain effect And in both these examples, we can relate back to RULE 1 of the Partner Pairing rules. Notice that a Hd man is chaining first with one side couple, then the other every time a Slide Thru occurs. And what does the Partner Pairing RULE 1 state? That when this occurs, each man will acquire their relative opposite ladies! And this, my friends, brings us full circle. 13