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To help facilitate dancing around the ballroom without collision, for traveling dances, each couple travels counter-clockwise (this is the typical movement direction) and has their own line of dance (LOD), with the outer wall of the room on the leader's right. When a leader is facing LOD, the follower is backing line of dance (BLOD).
When a dance pattern refers to alignment directions, unless otherwise stated, the direction given is from the leader's perspective.
Sometimes a pattern will give an alignment of "pointing" rather than "facing" some alignment. This means that the foot being placed points in that direction, but the body does not (yet). For example, PDW (pointing diagonal wall) versus FDW (facing diagonal wall).
Stand facing Wall (window of the room), when turning left 45 degrees at a time, a dancer going through the following alignment (assuming the next step is along the normal travel direction):
Facing Wall (FW)
Facing Diagonal wall (DW or FDW) (next step is forward)
Facing Line Of Dance (LOD or FLOD) (next step is forward)
Facing Diagonal Center (DC or FDC) (next step is forward)
Facing Center (Center, FC)
Backing Diagonal Wall (BDW) (next step is back)
Backing Line Of Dance (BLOD) (next step is back)
Backing Diagonal Center (BDC) (next step is back)
Facing Wall (FW)
In the course of reviewing figure descriptions, "Against LOD" is also used. The term could be confusing at first, until you get used to them.
"Against LOD" is used when the movement will be against the typical direction moving around the room. The next step could be either a forward or backward step.
"LOD" is the typical flow, counter clockwise around the room.
"Against LOD" is the opposite - "against" the flow, clockwise around the room.
Center of the room and the wall remain where they are.
"Facing" is used when it's a forward step.
"Backing" is used when it's a backward step, regardless which movement direction.
See the diagram for visual representation. The arrow is the movement direction regardless if it's a forward or backward step.
Example #1: for both the following scenarios, the person is standing facing toward North East corner of the room (using a compass):
If it's a forward step, it is called "facing". #2 in the diagram. The movement direction is normal flow. So it's called "Facing Diagonal Wall".
If it's a backward step, it is called "backing". #6 in the diagram. The movement direction is "against" the normal flow. It's "Backing Diagonal Center Against LOD".
Example #2: for both the following scenarios, the person is standing facing toward South West corner of the room (using a compass):
If it's a forward step, it is called "facing". #6 in the diagram. The movement direction is "against" normal flow. So it's called "Facing Diagonal Center Against LOD".
If it's a backward step, it is called "backing". #2 in the diagram. The movement direction is normal flow. It's "Backing Diagonal Wall".
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