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American Square Dances |
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There are several points to observe in the Western "Do-si-do": (1) It is danced only between Partners and Corners. (2) Left hands are always given to Partners and right hands to Corners in the figure, regardless of the version or variation danced. (3) It differs from a One Hand Swing in that the dancers do not encircle each other; it is a one-hand movement in which only the ladies encircle the gentlemen. (4) The hands are held at waist level in the Do-si-do instead of being held chest-high as in a One Hand Swing, and the hand hold is employed instead of the tension hold used in the One Hand Swing.
The Western Do-si-do is a simple movement. Partners join left hands and the gentlemen "draw" the ladies toward them, until Partners are left side to left side, and then pass the ladies behind the gentlemen's backs by the left hand, the gentlemen at the same time facing toward their Corners. Left hands are released and all dance directly toward Corners, taking right hands and repeating the movement in the opposite direction, the gentlemen drawing their Corner Ladies toward them until right side to right side and then passing the ladies behind the gentlemen's backs by the right hand, the gentlemen at the same time facing toward their Partners. Then all release right hands and dance directly toward Partners, and join left hands. The gentlemen place their right hands at the ladies' backs and "wheel" the ladies counter-clockwise to place or on to the next couple as the call may direct, the gentlemen moving backward, the ladies forward in the "wheel-around" movement. The entire figure requires sixteen beats of music. Whether the figure is danced by two, three, or four couples, the action is the same: Partners by the left hand, Corners by the right hand, left hand to Partners, and wheel around counter-clockwise.
Variations of the Bo-si-do
The Western Do-si-do has many variations from the basic figure, all of which are simply additions to the basic movement |
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