Re: origin of the sher

[Bloom <bloom...>]

In the versions of the Sher that I know, you give two hands to your
opposite and do a two hand turn, so you would still be touching someone of
the opposite sex.

How does your version of the Sher go?

Jacob Bloom

>Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1999 13:19:05 -0400
>To: World music from a Jewish slant <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
>From: Joe Kurland <ganeydn (at) crocker(dot)com>
>Subject: Re: origin of the sher
>
>What I learned (sorry I don't have an authoritative source for this
>information) is that the Sher was developed by rabbis as a kosher
>alternative to popular square dances.  Whereas square dances involve a lot
>of dancing with people of the opposite sex who are not your partner, the
>sher is so arranged that when married couples dance it, each person dances
>and touches hands only with his or her spouse, or with people of the same
>sex.  This is accomplished by having head couples have man on left and
>woman on right and while side couples have man on right and woman on the
>left.  Thus, your corner is always the same sex as you.  While the very
>religious might find even this unacceptably immodest, the practical rabbis
>who wanted to make an accomodation to modernity and popular culture and
>keep their flock in a Jewish social scene invented a popular and enduring
>diversion.


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