56. PASS to the CENTER Starting formation - Eight Chain Thru, Parallel Waves. Dancers all Pass Thru, those on the outside do a Partner Trade. Ends in a Double Pass Thru formation.

STYLING: Same as pass thru and partner trade.

TIMING: Box, couples facing in, 2 steps; couples facing out, 6 steps.

Dan Koft writes:
I tell the dancers that all they need to know is in the name of this call. They are to Pass Thru and they want to end facing the center. I set them up for it and tell them to pass thru then if they are facing the center to do nothing (the hardest thing in square dancing when other people are moving) and if they are facing out to partner trade to face the center.

Then for a while I'll call "..., Pass to the Center, Centers ____, while the outsides remember to partner trade, ...".

Al Stevens writes:
Question--if the starting formation is listed as "Parallel Waves", tell me how you can comfortably execute Pass To The Center from facing lines after Dixie Style to a wave (creating parallel waves) is called (Pass Thru is a"right" shoulder pass don't forget). This is one of many questions I received over the years from people whose native tongue is not "english" and must translate each "word" literally.

Clark Baker writes:
I believe it is illegal to call pass to the center from left-hand ocean waves. I will add this to the list of nits to be fixed in the definitions.

For people who want to experiment with something, you might try, from parallel waves (right- or left-handed), Extend To The Center -- dancers Extend The Tag and those on the outside Partner Trade (left shoulder Partner Trade if the original waves were left-handed). Ends in a 1/4 Tag formation.

Dick Hulbert writes:
I think you have run into one of the ambiguities of the English language and we have to blame that. I think that the definition should state (IMO) that from parallel waves the pass thru portion of the call should be danced as a 'step thru' type action. By restricting it to a pass thru, you are right that the definition is unclear. Although wonderfully pliant, the English language is sometimes limiting. By allowing the pass thru to be merely a 'step thru' clear of the wave, we open the movement up to more variety.

Sometimes I feel definitions need to have room for interpetation. Of course, as soon as I think that is good someone reminds me that those who do not speak English need it spelled out in uncertain terms.

Chris Kiendl writes:
PARALLEL WAVES is not the correct name for this formation. The correct name would be PARALLEL RIGHT HAND WAVES. There is a big difference between right or left hand parallel waves looking for formation management. So the definition would need the little word RIGHT HAND if someone wants to do a pass to the center from an ocean wave.

Nevertheless if you call pass to the center from parallel right hand waves the infacing dancer will have the tendency to step into an ocean wave again - if they do something like an extend - or they will pass thru in the middle, because they do not count the first pass thru out of the ocean wave! Just because the feeling is so completely different from a pass to the center from an eight chain thru formation. So the question for us as callers will be if this kind of variety is worthwile this tremendous increase of degree of difficulty.

Jim Penrod writes:
Bill, I would suggest that your above concerns reflect one of the problems we have in square dancing. Remember (I think) that the two calls (Pass Thru & Pass to the center) were written before callers really, really started getting so technical and demanding so much precision. I believe it was our friend Jack Murtha from No. Calif that introduced Pass to the Center. His concern and intent was to introduce something to replace Dive Thru. I doubt very seriously that he went through all the possible usages that could or would develop in the future. Maybe those responsible will look at the Pass Thru definition someday. It is a shame that one can not simply Pass Thru from Left hand waves. (let's not get into the formation left from Left waves after a Pass to the Center).

Keith M. Ferguson writes:
Regarding Pass to the Center from Parallel Left Hand Waves: Seems to me there are really only two considerations here.

1) If you're a caller and are concerned with the left shoulder pass thru, then just don't call Pass to the Center from here.
2) If you're a dancer and someone does call Pass to the Center from a lefty wave, then just step through and do a normal Partner Trade on the outside, which is what 99.9% of the dancers will do automatically.

I know a dancer who sometimes comes up to me and asks: "At the dance last week so-and-so called such-and-such -- was that legal?" My standard answer is: "Well, let's see -- did you do it?" When he says, "Of course, I knew what he wanted us to do", then I continue: "Then it must have been legal!" :-) :-)

Carsten Rothland writes:
Question - in the preface of the plus defs it is stated that the listed starting formations are not necessarily the only possible ones (paraphrased). Is that valid for the Basic and Mainstream program, too? If yes, does a "Pass to the center" from facing lines fit the definition, too? All pass thru, those on the outside - here: everybody - partner trade, end in facing lines. Or, perhaps not nice to dance, but possible, from static square: Heads (...) pass thru, everybody Pass to the center, it's a all (who can, means here Sides) pass thru, outsides (everybody) partner trade, right and left grand, you're home...

I'm not sure if that usages would fit the definition, any ideas?

Clark Baker writes:
"Question - in the preface of the plus defs it is stated that the listed starting formations are not necessarily the only possible ones (paraphrased). Is that valid for the Basic and Mainstream program, too?"

I think so, within reason.

If yes, does a "Pass to the center" from facing lines fit the definition, too? All pass thru, those on the outside - here: everybody - partner trade, end in facing lines."

I don't like this. It doesn't fit my mental model of what Pass To The Center is all about.

The words used in the definition could have easily expressed a proper pass to the center from an 8 chain thru formation slightly differently. What if the definition had said:

Pass Thru; Ends Trade.

From your lines facing, you would have had all pass thru, and the ends of the line trade with each other. Both definitions express pass to the center from an 8 chain thru formation, and yet have different results from lines facing.

"Or, perhaps not nice to dance, but possible, from static square: Heads (...) pass thru, everybody Pass to the center, it's a all (who can, means here Sides) pass thru, outsides (everybody) partner trade, right and left grand, you're home..."

I don't like this either. For one, the definition has all pass thru and you only have half the dancers pass thru.

There may be ways to extend Pass To The Center beyond its common applications, but these are not the ones to embrace.