American Square Dances of The West
& Southwest - online instruction book

With Calls, instructions, diagrams, steps & sheet music

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	126	American Square Dances
	SASHAY PARTNERS HALF-WAY 'ROUND, DESCRIPTION Three more of the Southwestern "Sashav" movements are introduced in this dance, as well as the progressive "pick-up" type of figure in which one couple at a time is added to the formation until all eight dancers in the set are dancing the figure at once. The First Couple dances to the Second Couple, and forms a ring of four which circles clockwise half around. The circle breaks and the two gentlemen dance to the right behind their Partners so as to exchange places with the ladies, while the ladies dance to the left in front of their Partners to the gentle­men's position. That is "Sashay Partners half-way 'round." The dancers now retrace their steps over the same path back to place. This is "Re-sashay." The call now directs the- dancers to "Go all the way around," which they answer by continuing the Re-sashay movement in the direction they are moving, en­circling their Partners, the gentlemen passing in front of their Partners and then dancing behind the ladies to place, while the ladies move counter, dancing to the left behind the gentlemen, then dancing to the right in front of the gentlemen to place. The First and Second Couples now form a ring of four which circles clockwise half around. When the First Couple have their backs to the center of the set and the Second Couple is in their home place, they dance the Do~si-do,# Partners by the left hand, Corners by the right, left hands to Partners, and the gendemen * If the dancers break into the Do-si-do before they are in the proper posi­tion they will not be at their home place for the final Do-si-do and chorus of this dance. It requires two beats of music for the caller to say "Do-si-do" and the call is that much ahead of the actual execution of the movement. Dancers have a natural tendency to execute the Do-si-do when they hear the first syllable of the term "Do-si-do" and all new dancers should be cautioned against following this natural reaction in this particular movement.