Re: origin of the sher

[Joe Kurland <ganeydn...>]

If there is any turning involving touch, the two head men would turn, two
side men would turn, two head women, two side women.

Versions I know involve each person going into the center of the square and
"shining" individually, or going in turn to all the people of the same sex
and turning with them, though usually with an arm link rather than a two
hand turn.

I suppose the problematic part might be when doing the "snake" figure in
which the square breaks open into a line and the leader threads the needle
between each pair of people.  It might be pretty hard to do the figure
without in some way touching someone of the opposite sex.  But then, just
dancing in a circle with members of the opposite sex already bespeaks a
certain lenient interpretation of the rules.

Reminds me of a wedding we performed for in a Khassidic community.  Our
instructions were to play only for separate dancing until 5 pm when the
rebbe would be leaving.  After that we were to play waltzes for couple
dancing.

Zayt gezunt (be healthy),

Yosl (Joe) Kurland
The Wholesale Klezmer Band
Colrain, MA 01340
voice/fax: 413-624-3204
http://www.crocker.com/~ganeydn


At 11:02 PM -0400 9/14/99, Bloom wrote:
>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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