From Novice to Notable: Your Next Steps in Intermediate Square Dancing
Discover the drills and practice routines that will solidify your skills and prepare you for advanced challenges.
Congratulations! You’ve mastered the basics. You can promenade, do-si-do, and allemande left with confidence. The world of Mainstream and Plus is your playground. But now you’re feeling the itch—the call of the caller is getting more complex, and you’re ready to answer. Welcome to the intermediate level, where the real magic of square dancing begins.
This stage is about moving from simply executing calls to truly understanding flow and formation. It’s where you transition from thinking one call at a time to seeing several moves ahead. It’s challenging, incredibly rewarding, and it’s where you cement your status as a solid, reliable dancer.
Shifting Your Mindset: From Reactive to Proactive
As a novice, your primary focus was on your own two feet. Now, your focus must expand to encompass the entire square. The key to intermediate success is no longer just you—it's your shared sense of timing and position with the other seven dancers.
Start thinking in terms of formations (e.g., waves, lines, columns, double pass thru formations) rather than just individual calls. When the caller says "Double Pass Thru," don't just do the call; recognize that you're now in a specific formation that sets up a world of possibilities for the next call.
Essential Drills to Cement Your Core Skills
Consistent, focused practice is the only path forward. Here are targeted drills to run with your practice group or even at home.
1. The Formation Recognition Drill
Goal: Instantly identify the formation your square is in after any call.
How: Have a caller (or use a recording) run a short sequence of 3-4 calls. After the last call, everyone FREEZE. Point to the center of the square and collectively identify the formation (e.g., "Facing Lines," "Trade By Formation," "1/4 Tag"). This builds the critical spatial awareness you need.
2. The "Caller's Nightmare" Drill
Goal: Improve recovery and listening skills when things go wrong.
How: Dance a tip, but the caller intentionally makes a "mistake"—perhaps calling a slightly too-fast sequence or a call that creates a minor traffic jam. The square's job is to work together, use gentle hands, and smoothly get back to home position without panic. This builds resilience and teamwork.
3. The No-Hands Practice
Goal: Dance an entire tip without using your hands to guide or wave others. Use only your body position, eye contact, and clear movement.
Why: This forces you to anticipate movement and be exactly where you need to be, precisely on time. It’s brutal but incredibly effective for cleaning up your timing and flow.
Building Your Practice Routine
Incorporate these elements into a regular practice schedule to see continuous improvement.
- The 15-Minute Warm-Up: Start every session by drilling the "hard stuff." Focus on calls that often cause hesitation: Spin Chain & Exchange the Gears, Relay the Deucey, Coordinate. Break them down slowly, then gradually increase speed.
- Sequence Dancing: Don't just practice calls in isolation. Dance to full sequences that mimic a real tip. This is the only way to practice the transitions between calls, which is where most errors occur.
- Record and Review: If your group is comfortable, record a practice tip. Watching it back is illuminating—you'll see where the hiccups happen and how the square resolves (or doesn't resolve) them.
- Dance Up: The single best way to improve is to dance with dancers who are better than you. Attend clubs that dance at the Advanced level. You'll be surprised how much you learn just by trying to keep up and watching their seamless execution.
Pro Tip: Master the Mental Call
As you hear a call, try to silently predict the *next* call the caller might use based on your current formation. You won't always be right, but the act of forecasting engages your brain differently, deepening your understanding of call relationships and choreography. This is the secret skill of all notable intermediate dancers.
Preparing for the Advanced Challenge
Intermediate dancing is the foundation for everything that comes next. The drills you do now—focusing on formation awareness, smooth flow, and precise timing—are the exact same skills required for Advanced and Challenge programs. The difference is simply the complexity and speed of the calls.
By solidifying these skills now, you're not just becoming a notable intermediate dancer; you're building a robust framework that will make learning Advanced A1 and A2 not just possible, but enjoyable.
The journey from novice to notable is filled with moments of frustration and breakthroughs of pure joy. Embrace the practice, focus on the flow, and most importantly, remember to smile and laugh with your square. The goal is flawless dancing, but the reward is the incredible community and fun you have along the way. Now, find your square and drill on!
