ANYTHING AND SPREAD`

White buttons scattered across the floor as he ripped his partner's shirt open.  Don't let this be you on the dance floor!  If your partner is wandering off in the wrong direction - GENTLY guide him or her to the right place.

This topic is the Plus call 'Anything and Spread`.  The definition is;  1.  The designated dancers step apart from one another after they complete the previous (anything) call, and 2.  the others step forward to end between them.  This is the  primary definition.  Let's look at a couple of examples:
From a static square, Sides Slide Thru and Spread.  The sides step forward, Slide Thru and then continue their motion apart from one another.  The heads step forward to end between them.  The ending formation is lines of four facing in.  Here's another example:  from a static square, Heads touch 1/4 and Spread.  The heads complete the call ending in a right mini-wave, then step apart as the sides step forward between them.  The result is a three and one line.
The facing direction of the dancers designated to spread is not a factor in Spread.  The dancers who are stepping between the spreaders must be facing the spreaders.  For example, if we call:  Heads California Twirl, Sides Star Thru and Spread.  The sides can spread, but the heads are facing out of the square and away from the spreaders, so we cannot do the call from here.  Let's change it a little:  Sides Square Thru Four, Heads California Twirl and Spread.  As the Heads are completing their Spread, the sides are finishing their Square thru ending up behind the heads right in position to step between the spreaders.  The result is lines of four facing out.
Now, from these lines of four facing out, let's Wheel and Deal and Spread.  The girls are on the right, so they wheel in first and Spread.  The boys wheel in behind them and step forward to end up between them.  Now we have lines of four facing in.
Calls that end up in an ocean wave formation have a secondary rule.  Those who would normally end up in the center are the spreaders, they spread apart as they complete the call, and those who would have finished as ends step together and in between the spreaders to become the new centers.  Let's have our lines from above Pass the Ocean.  Swing Thru and Spread:  Those who can turn 1/2 by the right and then those who can (the centers) turn 1/2 by the left and spread apart.  The others pause (for traffic control) and step between them ending as the centers in left handed Ocean Waves.  From here let's have the centers Trade, Run and Roll, new centers face, Right and Left Grand.
Conditions.  When can you Spread?  1.  When two couples are active (spreaders) and the other two are facing them:  ie; Slide Thru and Spread from above.  2.  When all four couples are active and the call ends up with tandems (leaders and trailers):  ie;  Wheel and Deal (from lines of four all facing either in or out) and Spread, or Ferris Wheel and Spread.  3.  When the call ends in an Ocean Wave:  ie; Swing Thru and Spread.
A final point:  And Spread is an integral part of one Plus call: Follow Your Neighbor and Spread.   The Spread was originally added on to Follow your Neighbor to make the call end up right handed.  A partial list of calls that can be easily used with ...And Spread is as follows;  Star Thru, California Twirl, Dive Thru (marginal because the divers have no sideways motion), Swing Thru, Spin the Top, Slide Thru, Fan the Top, Follow Your Neighbor, Peel the Top, Cut the Diamond.  Remember, in all of these, a condition of the call is that the inactive dancers must be facing the spreaders.

John Oldfield