1 Jun
2013
1 Jun
'13
12:10 p.m.
On May 31, 2013, at 12:50 PM, Aahz Maruch wrote:
Bit of trivia I learned recently from square dancing:
what we call a
Mad
Robin is also properly called a sashay (as opposed to the usual
half-sashay....).
I've mentioned this before on this list and I guess it's time
to mention it again: Check out the B2 part of the dance "Saint
Paddy's Day" by Kirston Koths, as seen in _Zesty Contras_ or at
http://www.quiteapair.us/calling/acdol/dance/acd_137.html
The action that Kirston describes as a a "full sashay" (facing
neighbor and maintaining eye contact as much as possible, walk
clockwise around partner) is precisely the figure that has
come to be known to contra dancers as a "Mad Robin", though in
Kirston's dance it's done with dancers moving around partners
across the set while looking up or down at neighbors. Kirston's
description of the action as a "full sashay" certainly derives
from one of the historical uses of that term in square dancing
(Ken Sweeney's observation that "full sashay" is not currently
part of the approved MWSD terminology as codified by CALLERLAB
notwithstanding).
Kirston wrote "Saint Paddy's Day" in 1982. The term "Mad Robin"
entered the contra dance lexicon (for an action that only
vaguely resembles something from the English country dance
"Mad Robin") much later--perhaps in the late 1990's.
Can any of you pinpoint who introduced term "Mad Robin" with
it's current contra dance meaning, or when, or what dance they
were describing?
--Jim