On Apr 13, 2017, at 12:34 PM, Jacob Bloom wrote: I wholeheartedly agree with Jacob. If you want the ladies to pull past each other and then allemande with whichever gent they meet, then just tell them that--designating which hand to use, which gent they meet (partner, neighbor, or shadow]), how far to turn, and where they end up, as appropriate. If you describe it using the word "chain"--at least with a crowd of contemporary American contra dancers--I think there are likely to be at least a few dancers who will react by doing a courtesy turn, or the twirls people sometimes put in place o a courtesy turn, before you can tell them otherwise. Then, having practiced it that way, some of them may continue to do it that way every time, even after you've attempted to clarify what action you actually intended, so that they always end up fumbling around a little to get to wherever they need to be for the next move. Even if you don't use the word "chain", the mere act of ladies pulling past each other and extending their left hands to the gents they meet may trigger some gents to start a courtesy turn. Describing the action as a "chain" can only increase the number of dancers who have something to unlearn. --Jim