Re: diagramming dances, Jerome suggested some terrific web flash, then wrote,
> And of course, there's always salt and pepper shakers....

then Alan responded,
> I like coins.  (Different denominations for different numbers - pennies,
nickels, dimes, quarters tells you who's who in a square, face-up or face-down
for  gender, and you can have them face one way or the other.)

Me, I like Extreme Visual, No-Tech style. My dirty secret is this: Smurfs. I borrowed a bunch of figurines from a friend, each of which sports a different-colored hat. I have male and female red, blue, and yellow hat couples. The fourth couple is a pair of green toy soldiers, with the one holding his gun up higher in the air designated as male. I walk them around through the dance, noting when each is facing her/his neighbor, etc., when the progression happens, and potential weird effects. It's goofy but it really works. 

Tina