Round Dance Directions

How can dozens of couples all move around a ballroom ‘in sync’ without bumping into each other? The answer lies in a simple system of directions ... keep reading!

In Round Dance, couples normally travel counterclockwise around the ballroom, following a ‘track’ that is typically shaped like a rounded rectangle. This track is represented by the dashed line in the interactive diagram below. Before reading more, play with the blue and gold circles using your mouse!

One draggable point shows the tangent line to a rounded rectangular track. A separate gold point shows eight Round Dance directions. WALL WALL WALL WALL CENTER OF HALL Drag to explore the tangent lines P Drag to explore all eight Round Dance directions

At every point on the (dashed) track, there’s a tangent line that ‘captures’ the ‘direction of the track’ at that instant. Drag the point labeled P (for point) around the curve to see how the tangent line changes—particularly moving around corners.

Now, imagine yourself standing on P. You can travel along the tangent line in two different directions. The direction that moves you counterclockwise around the track is called Line of Dance (LOD), or—more simply—Line. The draggable gold point shows Line, and seven other directions (defined below).

There are eight directions in all, equally-spaced, with 45 degrees between any direction and its closest ‘neighbor’:

Direction Name
Preferred Cue Term
Abbreviation
Primary Directions
Line of Dance
Line
LOD
Reverse Line of Dance
Reverse Line
RLOD
Perpendicular Directions
Wall
Wall
WALL
Center of Hall
Center
COH
Diagonal Directions
Diagonal Line and Wall
Line and Wall
DLW
Diagonal Line and Center
Line and Center
DLC
Diagonal Reverse and Wall
Reverse Line and Wall
DRW
Diagonal Reverse and Center
Reverse Line and Center
DRC

Note that ‘Diagonal Line and Wall’ is exactly halfway between Line and Wall. The preferred cue term is ‘Line and Wall’ (because cues need to be short). The same holds for all the other diagonal directions.

As dancers travel around the ballroom, these directions ‘move with them’, always maintaining the same relationships.

You can change the track: drag the square handles to change its width and height; drag the diamond handle to adjust the curve of the corners. Enjoy!!