58. Cast Off 3/4
Starting formations: Mini-Wave, General Line
Command
examples:
Cast Off 3/4
Pass The Ocean; Cast Off 3/4
Couples Circulate; Tag The Line; Put Centers In; Cast Off 3/4 -- Boys Push
Center 4, Wheel And Deal; Outsides Cast Off 3/4 (from a Tidal Line)
Veer Left; Centers Trade; Cast Off 3/4
Dance action: From a Mini-Wave, Turn 3/4.
From a General Line, each half of the line works together: those in a Mini-Wave Turn 3/4 while those in a Couple turn, as a unit, away from the center of the line for 3/4 of a circle (270 degrees).
Ending formations: From a Mini-Wave, a Mini-Wave. From a One-Faced Line or a Two-Faced Line, Facing Couples. From a General Line, a General Box (centered on the same point).
Timing: 6
Styling:
Dancers who are partners maintain
current handholds throughout the call.
From Completed Double Pass Thru, the combination Centers In, Cast Off 3/4 has
often been danced with linked elbows. This styling is discouraged because
Centers In is not always followed by Cast Off 3/4.
Comments:
A couple on the outside of the set (e.g.,
after Couples Circulate 1 1/2) can be asked to Cast Off 3/4. In this case, they
assume the other half of their line is towards the center of the set and do the
call.
It is improper to Sweep a Quarter after Cast Off 3/4.
In the dance action from a Couple, there has been controversy about the location
of the "pivot point", the center of the turning. Traditionally the end
dancer was the pivot, around which the center dancer walked 3/4 of a circle,
much like "pushing" open a garden gate. This was problematic in
certain cases (e.g., from a Two-Faced Line), because it didn't explain why the
call ended with couples facing directly.
The current definition de-emphasizes the pivot point; as long as dancers turn in
the correct direction and end in the correct formation, they are dancing the
call properly.
From a Tidal Line or Tidal Two-Faced Line, the proper dance action of Cast Off
3/4 is to work on each side, ending in an Eight Chain Thru formation. From a
Tidal Line only, if the caller wants each side to work as a unit, ending in
Facing Lines, "Line of 8, Cast Off 3/4" may be used, similar to
"Line of 8, Bend The Line" (#20.b); this variation (or the one from a
line of 6) is seldom used.
For variations of Cast Off with fractions other than 3/4, see "Part 4:
Additional Detail: Commands: Extensions like Reverse Wheel Around".