North-Wall Patterns

Prerequisites: Nicki's three-count roundabout; recommended after Roundabout and some Roundabout variations. Next: Add a club or try four-handed siteswap abouts.

All three-person roundabout-style patterns on based patterns with an odd period are symmetric in that they have a left side and a right side; every passer goes through all passing and manipulator positions both left-handed and right-handed before the pattern repeats (after six segments).

These patterns are often known as north-wall patterns because actions relate to fixed directions in a room: Assume that passers A and B stand in the east and west position of the room, specific actions always happen on the north or south side of the room. For example, a carry would always carry the club on the north side -- the left handed club when carrying west to east and the right-handed club when carrying east to west. It is often easier to remember whether an action happens on the north or the south side, rather than whether it is left or right handed in each direction. That is, after each segment, the pattern repeats after flipping it on the north-south axis, rather than rotating it by 180 degrees as even-period patterns like Roundabout do.

Phoenicean Waltz

Phoenicean Waltz is a good first pattern to learn north-wall patterns, as it is on the easier side and widely known.

The substitutions happen from outside the pattern, the first on the south side and the second (after walking through the pattern) on the north side. The intercept is caught on the south side from behind B and the new manipulator carries the next club on the south side and steps out of the pattern to start the next segment by substituting a pass on the south side in the same direction as the carry (catching with the same hand that just placed the carry, which is the opposite hand and in the opposite direction compared to the previous cycle). Notice that, unless handing in a club for the second substitution upside down, the manipulator needs to flip a club between the two substitutions while walking through the pattern.

Turning back. North-wall patterns tend to be long -- for example, Phoenicean Waltz repeats after 54 beats compared to Roundabout's 24 beats -- because they repeat after six segments rather than three. It is common to learn a segment and then turn backward to learn the previous segment, which then connects to the previously practiced start. In north-wall patterns, we can turn back as usual -- the manipulator swaps with the position opposite of who they intercept (A in Phoenicean Waltz) -- but then the pattern starts with the other hand (i.e., left-handed start rather than right-handed and vice versa) and the manipulator faces the same direction in the room as the manipulator in the previous segment (standing south of the pattern, facing north, in Phoenicean Waltz). To turn back three segments at one, that is, half the pattern, all passers keep their positions and simply switch which hand they start with.

MinuEd

MinuEd is another popular and widely known pattern, which is substantially more challenging than most Roundabouts.

There are two somewhat unusual parts. First, the fast substitute-intercept sequence is known as a pop: The receiving passer throws ("pops") a pelf almost as a flat and the manipulator hands in the substitution from below and catches the pop in the same upward motion. Second, the pattern does not use zips for the first two substitutions, but instead catches the second substitution early with the "wrong" hand (catching the self on the south side with the hand on the north side); this results in two consecutive placements into the north hand from different hands for what is known as the "shuffle" or the "macarena".

Hints: Slow and lofty passes will help a lot. The manipulator should stay in the middle of the pattern, walking between the two passing lanes. The carry is always on the north side, as is the first substitution; the last substitution and the pop are always on the south side. The pattern has no zips, though it is possible to squeeze in two zips after the carry.

Dolby Söround

This pattern leaves out the last self of the Roundabout sequence to turn Roundabout into a 7-beat-long north-wall pattern. The pattern essentially consists of juggling the Roundabout right-handed in one direction (e.g., going east) and left-handed the other direction. In theory it is very easy to learn, because it is so similar to Roundabout, but at the same time it can be very challenging to do the Roundabout parts left-handed. It can be a fun challenge for passers who deeply know Roundabout but rarely do takeouts that are not fully right-handed.

Aside from having to juggle the Roundabout left handed, the main difference is the transition: The first step of the new manipulator is to quickly hand in their club from their south hand into the new B's north hand (the near hand), from where the normal Roundabout sequence resumes. The substituted pass is always on the south side and the substituted self always from the north hand, spinning out to the south side. It is important that the last action of the manipulator before catching the intercept is to do a zip, rather than a self -- this is canonical in Roundabout, but many passers are used to throwing a self to the empty hand instead, which will not work here since that self is carried.

It can be helpful to simply practice left-handed Roundabout first to learn takeouts with the other hand and getting used to spinning the other direction.

The same idea to switch directions by leaving out the last self and carrying to the opposite hand also works for other Roundabout-style patterns, such as Chopabout.

Opernball (5 Person)

Opernball is a five-person version of the Phoenicean Waltz with 3 manipulators all going through the Phoenicean Waltz sequence, but with offset starting points. This results in a pattern that feels like Phoenicean Waltz locally, but without ever pausing in a pass-pass-self sequence for long. Also all but a single pass that is going back and forth across the pattern are manipulated.

There are many more north-wall patterns to explore, but they are less common. Examples include, Vashon Roundabout, Chopsticks, ChopDolby, and Dolby 5.1. Passing.zone is a great source collecting most of them with notation and videos.