On 8/23/16 8:10 PM, Don Veino via Callers wrote:
Following this logic, where an on-time arrival is essential out of a star it would be best to make it hands-across (H-A). In a H-A star, folks can use a similar arm angle adjustment to vary the star circumference (and resulting speed). Due to the configuration, there's less opportunity to gently* influence star speed with the pack saddle/hand-on-wrist form.

BTW, in dances featuring a star where a pair drop out I mention there's no need to shove your opposite away at disengagement - centrifugal force will gently take care of it once you let go of them. This is a curious bit which only seems to happen in this case - I've never received a parting shove when an "everybody" H-A star breaks up, but there's always someone in the line doing it in the drop out variant.

*
I find that a lot - maybe most - gents in the SF Bay Area will do a push off on dropping out of a hands-across star, and since I'm expecting it I kind of like it and offer a rigid-enough arm to be pushed off from.

On the other hand, it's a very small minority of gents who'll push off from a star promenade, and I wish it were more.  (There's a lot of 'em who'll just drop the allemande hand once they've picked up the lady they're promenading with, and then the figure is really, really unsatisfying.)

-- Alan