Hi. I am an extreme ameuture, but have dug a huge hole for myself to live in. Im the president of the "ballroom danicing" club (I discoverd this website soley because of the name,) and am trying to learn form these archives. However, I cant fighure out if by 1/2 turn it means face left or turn around. So... could someone clear this up for me?

In ballroom dancing, turns are typically described as fractions of a full 360 degree rotation. A half-turn is therefore simply an "about face" -- a 180 degree turn. When you start facing north and dance 1/2 turn, you will finish facing south.

One will usually also specify the direction of rotation -- to the left (counter-clockwise) or to the right (clockwise). Begin facing north and dance dance 1/4 turn (90 degrees) to your right (clockwise), and you will end facing east.

I hope that makes sense!

Regards,
Jonathan