Hi Ric -


I think Sasha didn't go over with the whole crowd in Sebastopol, CA because it is goofy
fun, and mainly because some folks have very definitive ideas about what is
acceptable at a "contradance" evening. This is particularly ironic
because in earlier days, according to several historians, such an eve would mean both lines and squares. (The name 'contra' apparently caught on in the 1960s when hippies were turned off by the idea of 'squares' but 'contra' sounded groovy.) And a 'square dance' eve, according to
my dad who called in rural California, Oregon, & Nevada in the 1950s, included many round dances. Interesting, no? 



Tina



Here's the dance. (It comes with its own tune, which can be found on the 'net.)


Sasha!                    Community dance, wild mixer

Dancers find a partner and scatter around the dance floor. 

pre)    (4)    Point to your P as you say “Ras, Dva, Tri” 
            (means “One, Two, Three” or “Ready, set, go.”)

A1)    (8+8)    Clapping hands with P: “R,R,R, L,L,L, both, both, both,     (own knees) knee, knee, knee.” 

A2)    (8)    R elbow turn w/P--  8 beats, singing “La, la la, etc.” When you say “Hey!” you say it with an upraised fist with your LH
     (8)    L elbow turn P, “Hey!” raising R fist.

B1/B2    (32)    Then you leave your P behind (“Dasvadanya,” Russian for “Goodbye”) and walk randomly around the dance floor. 

At the end of the B music, you face a new partner.





--- On Mon, 7/6/09, Ric Goldman <letsdance at rgoldman.org> wrote:

From: Ric Goldman <letsdance at rgoldman.org>
Subject: RE: [Callers] Sasha
To: "'Tina Fields'" <tfields8 at yahoo.com>
Date: Monday, July 6, 2009, 1:23 PM

Hi Tina,

I'm late coming into this thread after a disc crash (catch-up, catch-up, catch-up).  Could you describe Sasha, and a bit of detail
why it didn't go over at your home dance (which is where)?  You've definitely caught my interest on both.

Thanx, Ric Goldman
Palo Alto, Ca 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: callers-bounces at sharedweight.net 
> [mailto:callers-bounces at sharedweight.net] On Behalf Of Tina Fields
> Sent: Monday, July 06, 2009 12:21 PM
> To: callers at sharedweight.net
> Subject: Re: [Callers] Sasha
> 
> A band asked me to call Sasha as we prepared for their 
> monthly barn dance. Seems it was a favorite of that dance 
> community. So I learned it for them and indeed, everyone was 
> laughing and whooping it up. But warning: I then thought, how 
> fun! Let's bring this dance into my home contra community 
> too, as a spice between the line dances -- and was met with 
> the hairy eyeball like you would not believe. :-p   It was 
> very interesting to discover the delicate nature of dance 
> choice for different crowds. I still want to expand the 
> variety at regular dances, though - albeit somehow more 
> tactfully in future. Yeah, call Sasha for that ONS for sure!
> 
> Tina
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