Square dancing is usually danced by 4 couples who start each sequence in a square formation. This paper describes how two 4-couples squares can dance most calls mostly on top of each other without running into each other. Certain dancers will enjoy this twist on square dancing.
Hashtag squares are another a series of Square Games. I typically would expose dancers and callers to these ideas after midnight at Callerlab or a square dance convention.
I no longer remember when these were "invented". Email to sd-callers@all8.com from June 2015 says:
In the past some of you might have encountered me doing a hallway walkthru with a square of girls on top of a square of boys with one square rotated 90 degrees from the other square.I did this at the most recent Callerlab and at a National Convention several years ago.
This year at the NSDC I used my 30 minute "Hex" spot to introduce the room to Hashtag Squares and I am pleased to say that it went well and I was able to keep the 7 or 8 hashtags mostly going and having fun. In the past when people have asked "What was that?" or "What do you call that?" I have said "Overlapping Squares or Interlocked Squares" or "it doesn't have a name". I like the name Hashtag Squares because, when the squares are each in ocean waves, viewed from the top it looks like the hashtag symbol.
To get started, I suggest getting 2 squares, one of all girls and one of all boys placed next to each other. You can teach and call from inside the square (as one of the dancers) if you want (I usually do).
It is important for everyone to be able to quickly know who is in their square. That is why I prefer a square of boys and a square of girls. However, you could distinguish by clothing color, etc.
If you divide the squares by gender (as I recommend), you will not be using any gender-dependent calls (e.g., Star Thru). This will not be a problem. However, everyone will be dancing all the parts of the calls (e.g., Spin Chain And Exchange The Gears) in a somewhat confusing environment. They should be accomplished at APD.
Once the two square are organized and ready, call
Boys square, have the Heads Pass The Ocean
Now move your squares so the flagpole centers line up. In each
quadrant you will have a right hand star with 2 boys and two girls.
Boys, look at all the boys -- see that you have two right-hand ocean waves.
Girls square, have the Sides Pass The Ocean
Both squares, Extend the Tag
Girls, look at all the girls -- see that you have two right-hand ocean waves.
While we could dance these stars as 4-dancer stars, I encourage the boys to only hold onto boys and the same for the girls. These would be hands-across stars.
Do swing thru several more times until everyone is getting the feel of new action. In general repeat anything you do until dancers have cycled throuh the various parts and seem to be getting it. This will all feel new and interesting and they won't be bored by repetition.
If the dancers know Advanced, at this point I also do 1/4 Thru and 3/4 Thru.
Next show the dancers Circulate. Start with Ends Circulate and make sure these dancers know if they are an end facing in or and end facing out. Make sure they know where they are going. Do an Ends Circulate. Do several more. If the dancers know Acey Deucey do several of them. Do a Swing Thru and Ends Circulate to give dancers different parts.
Move onto Centers Circulate making sure dancers see where they are going before moving. Do several of them. Finally do All 8 Circulate.
You can introduce Split Circulate at this time, also.
The last ocean wave call I show is Spin Chain Thru. Have everyone go slow and stay syncronized making sure the dancers see where they are and what is about to happen for each part. Note that the "centers trade" will be a center star doing the trade.
From ocean waves I get the dancers into two-faced lines with a "Centers Run". Note that this will be a bit clunky to dance. Not everything in hashtags will be smooth and conflict-free like the calls we have done so far.
From two-faced lines, the first call I show is Couples Circulate. Tell the couples looking in they are going straight ahead and make sure they see and agree to where they are going. The couples looking out have a long way to go, and they have to turn 180 degrees (2 walls) as they go. Couples Circulate has an interesting "disengagement" that happens at the start, and a similar "reengagement" with the same dancers (!) at the end. Do several of these in a row until the dancers are good at it.
After several Couples Circulate the next call is Bend The Line. I just call it and see what happens. This ends up being smooth (from 2-faced lines) will be a surprise for the dancers.
At this point we have facing lines. Make sure people see them. Perhaps do a Forward and Back. We want to get back to ocean waves so I suggest Pass The Ocean, but remind the dancers of the 3 parts and have them do it by the parts -- Pass Thru, Face Partner, Step To A Wave which will be a stepping to a star.
At this point I might dance them through a bunch of what they know so far.
At the end of the call, when some dancers flip out of the star, they have to move way out (i.e., this is a larger, more deliberate action hashtags) to become ends of waves. They will be undoing the earlier "flip in" action. As they flip in or out, they will encounter an "enemy" -- someone of the opposite gender who is in their way.
In any event, the rest of Spin Chain The Gears should just work.
The next call to show is Spin Chain and Exchange The Gears. The special instructions here are to dance everyone up to when the exchange starts. Make sure everyone knows which star they are in and who is leading it. Tell the leaders to work wide around all the other dancers and not to walk through anyone. Generally, just like in real life, this call will just "work" and jell at the end.
Remember to intermix some dancing with music in with the teaching.
Ocean wave calls dance the best. At some point remember to show Relay The Deucey. I remind dancers of their "buddy". Each end and adjacent center are buddies and that is the only dancer they can touch as they join and leave the center wave of 6. Also, they will finish the call holding onto their buddy.
Load The Boat also works well except it ends in columns (see what I say below).
Split Circulate, Scoot Back, and Walk And Dodge are fine.
At this point you have more than enough material for several tips. Also, you can discover stuff on your own. Here are a few ideas:
How do you end the tip? I haven't figured this out yet, either. You can't resolve the squares because if they each promenaded home they would be standing on top of each other.