I have always wanted to know that also - and the precise difference between circassian and Sicilian. I have a working definition: on is couples facing couples and the other is couples facing the center. Dorcas Hand -----Original Message----- From: callers-bounces(a)sharedweight.net [mailto:callers-bounces@sharedweight.net] On Behalf Of John Sweeney Sent: Tuesday, August 02, 2011 1:16 PM To: callers(a)sharedweight.net Subject: [Callers] Etymology of "Sicilian Circle" I have a Sicilian lady at our dances who is demanding to know why the formation is known as a "Sicilian Circle". Can anyone help? Thanks, John John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802 940 574 http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)sharedweight.net http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers

Now that explains why I've never really been sure which was which! Thanks so much. Dorcas -----Original Message----- From: callers-bounces(a)sharedweight.net [mailto:callers-bounces@sharedweight.net] On Behalf Of Chris Page Sent: Tuesday, August 02, 2011 11:54 PM To: Caller's discussion list Subject: Re: [Callers] Etymology of "Sicilian Circle" On Tue, Aug 2, 2011 at 11:15 AM, John Sweeney <info(a)contrafusion.co.uk> wrote: Alan Winston answered this on trad-dance-callers back in 2004. On the off-chance you're email subscribed to that list, and have a yahoo account with that email linked to it, the following url should work: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/trad-dance-callers/message/3039 Short answer is that it's from 1800's, when dance masters were giving dances foreign names to make them sound trendy. Depending on how you look back then, it's the Sicilian Circle, the Circassian Circle, or the same formation as "the Spanish Dance." -Chris Page San Diego _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)sharedweight.net http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers