Page "Modern Western square dance" Paragraph 14

Each dance round, called a tip, typically consists of two dances.

The first dance part is known as a hash call, which is characterized by its unstructured and often puzzling dance choreography.

The music is usually instrumental and the calls are typically not sung, but rather rhythmically spoken.

The second dance part of a square dance tip is a singing call.

The dance instructions are sung as well as the lyrics during the long duration calls.

The music are often popular songs and the calls are timed to fit.

During a singing call the female dancers temporarily switch partners in a counter-clockwise order around the square until they return to their original partners.

The caller restores the original order of the square both at the end of the hash and the singing call.

The duration time of a tip may vary, but is usually between ten and twenty minutes.

Between tips, dancers are generally encouraged to find other dance partners and form new squares for the next tip.