[Callers] yet another gypsy substitute (YAGS)

[JD Erskine via Callers]

On 2016-02-05 1030, Jonathan Sivier via Callers wrote:
>     I just had a thought for another possible substitute if we need to
> replace the term "gypsy".  This would be "vis-a-vis" (face to face).  I
> like this since it is in some sense similar to dos-a-dos (back to back)
> and makes them complimentary figures.  I think it suggests the
> importance of facing the person you are dancing with, making eye
> contact, though not necessarily staring, during the figure.  Since many
> of the figure names in country dance come from French words, sometimes
> corrupted by time and the folk process, it seems reasonable to borrow
> another French term.  I'm not aware of this term already being used for
> some other dance figure, let me know if it is.  Even though it has 3
> syllables instead of 2 I kind of like the sound of "vis-a-vis and swing!"
>
>     Just putting it out there for your consideration.
>
> Jonathan

Interesting thought.

I wonder what the chance of confusion with Fried de Metz Herman's 
figure, Face en Face, is.*

In one dance of hers some dancers move in a Back to Back while those 
alongside them in the longways set are doing a Face en Face. These 
figures are essentially the reverse of each other. It might be argued 
that they are linear-ish ("forward" "back") like the track of a "Do si 
do" or Mad Robin.

I had a fun time looking at what might already use the name vis-a-vis.

A smattering of search returns on https://duckduckgo.com/ :

http://grammarist.com/usage/vis-a-vis/
http://www.dailywritingtips.com/vice-versa-and-vis-a-vis/
--
http://www.thesaurus.com/browse/vis-a-vis
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/vis-a-vis
--
and
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/vis-a-vis.html

While it would appear to have several applications in language (adverb, 
adjective, preposition, noun) a lot of the use seems "positional" to me 
(similar to Neighbour, Corner.) I was already thinking it would be close 
to a translation of a term we often use already, Opposite. One of those 
entries would seem to support that.

The last entry is interesting as it includes however it reverses the 
dance meaning(s) of Dos A Dos somewhat. That which they haven't 
interpreted differently from current dance use is interesting as well.

I wonder if in France, or Quebec, vis-a-vis is used to mean Opposite, or 
if it would be seen to possibly mean that if used as a replacement for 
Gyps(e)y.

Cheers, John
--
J.D. Erskine
Victoria, BC


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* from the CDSS Lifetime Contribution Award 2006—Fried de Metz Herman
"Not  only  has  Fried  written numerous dances, she has created unusual
and distinctive figures that have moved the modern English country dance 
style in a new direction. Among these figures are the
face en face, chevron, open star, crossed hands poussette, double dance, 
closed star, meander, zig-zag hey, island setting,
Russian gypsy and many more."

https://www.cdss.org/images/documents/awards/award_2006_fried_herman.pdf
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