You are right that "chassee" (or "chassa" or "chassé" or
"sashay") simply
refers to the footwork of this sideways sliding step. The name comes from
the French word for chase, one foot chasing the other, as in a gallop.
Phil Jamison
On Mon, Feb 27, 2017 at 10:19 PM, djeh_b(a)yahoo.com [trad-dance-callers] <
trad-dance-callers(a)yahoogroups.com> wrote:
It might be helpful to look at all of the ways Howe used the word
"chassee" in his dance manual. This edition actually spells it
"chassa" but
the word appears at least 40 times:
https://books.google.
com/books?id=XkJKAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=elias+
howe&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjyq-DG5rHSAhVE4YMKHViFDiwQ6AEIHDAA
#v=onepage&q=chassa&f=false
A variety of words follow it: "chassa round to the left," "chassa
across,"
"chassa de chassa,"chassa croissez," "chassa out," etc. To me,
that would
indicate that, as now, "chassa" is simply the footwork of a sliding step,
with the direction of that step following. I did find at least one example
of "chassa across partner," which makes me think that a simple "chassa
across" would be across the set.
I did find this description: "All Chassa: Each couple facing their own
partner and chassa across each other four steps the gentlemen passing to
the outside of the ladies and back the same finishing with a bow and
courtesy The gentleman then offers his hand or arm to his lady and conducts
her to her seat which is the proper termination to every set of Quadrilles
(8 bars)"
The "facing each other" would also seem to indicate that the couples are
crossing the set with their partners and not crossing their own partner.
Deborah Hyland
St. Louis
--
Phil Jamison
Professor of Mathematics/Appalachian Music/Appalachian Studies
Warren Wilson College
CPO 6211, PO Box 9000
Asheville, NC 28815
Office phone: (828) 771-3722
Cell phone: (828) 450-0780
Email: pjamison(a)warren-wilson.edu
Website:
www.philjamison.com