Dosado
Encyclopedia
Dosado or Dos-a-dos (also written dos a dos) or do-si-do (also written do si do) is a basic dance step
in such dances as square dance
, contra dance, polka
, various historical dance
s, and some reel
s.
The term is a corruption of the original French
term dos-à-dos for the dance move, which means "back to back", as opposed to "vis-à-vis" which means "face to face".
It is probably the most well-known call in square dancing aside from, perhaps, "Promenade
".
The movement is basically defined as follows:
The actual steps vary in specific dances.
Considering the amount of space in which to accomplish the figure, the partners might adjust their shoulders slightly diagonally to allow for less sideways movement during the shoulder passes.
The advancing pass may also be by the left shoulders, although it will be called as a "Left Dosado", a "Left Dos-a-dos" or a "Left Do-Si-Do".
While executing this move, the girls may move their skirts with their hands from side to side (skirtwork), flaring it to the right as right shoulders pass, and to the left as left shoulders pass.
. The former is the one used by Callerlab
, the largest international association of square dance callers; the latter is the one used by the American Callers Association
.
"Do-Si-Do" is the spelling used in contra dance.
"Dos-a-dos" is still in current use in conjunction with a number of other dances.
traditions, or the addition of flourishes to a basic step, tend to be local, and not all dancers like to do styling, but nevertheless a common styling done to the dosado is the "Hungarian Swing" or "Highland Fling
" styling. This addition to the basic step is accomplished as follows:
Even with styling the move should take no longer to execute than a normal Dosado.
In contra dance it is common for experienced dancers to embellish the move by making one or more clockwise turns as they going around the other dancer.
A Dosado 1½ would be a full (or normal) Dosado and an additional 1/2 Dosado, resulting in the dancers standing back-to-back. Dosado variants are often considered entertaining "gimmicks".
Dance move
Dance moves or dance steps are the building blocks of many dances.More complex dance moves are called dance patterns, dance figures or dance variations....
in such dances as square dance
Square dance
Square dance is a folk dance with four couples arranged in a square, with one couple on each side, beginning with Couple 1 facing away from the music and going counter-clockwise until getting to Couple 4. Couples 1 and 3 are known as the head couples, while Couples 2 and 4 are the side couples...
, contra dance, polka
Polka
The polka is a Central European dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia...
, various historical dance
Historical dance
Historical dance is a collective term covering a wide variety of dance types from the past as they are danced in the present....
s, and some reel
Reel (dance)
The reel is a folk dance type as well as the accompanying dance tune type. In Scottish country dancing, the reel is one of the four traditional dances, the others being the jig, the strathspey and the waltz, and is also the name of a dance figure ....
s.
The term is a corruption of the original French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
term dos-à-dos for the dance move, which means "back to back", as opposed to "vis-à-vis" which means "face to face".
It is probably the most well-known call in square dancing aside from, perhaps, "Promenade
Promenade (dance move)
Promenade is a basic dance move in a number of dances such as English Country Dance, contra dance, and square dance. The name comes from the French word for “walk”, and is a good basic description of the dance action.-Dance position and handholds:...
".
Description
It is a circular movement where two people, who are initially facing each other, walk around each other without or almost without turning, i.e., facing in the same direction (same wall) all the time. In most cases it takes 6-8 counts to complete.The movement is basically defined as follows:
- Dancers advance and pass right shoulders.
- Without turning each dancer moves to the right passing in back of the other dancer. At this moment the partners face away from each other.
- Then moving backwards dancers pass left shoulders returning to starting position.
The actual steps vary in specific dances.
Considering the amount of space in which to accomplish the figure, the partners might adjust their shoulders slightly diagonally to allow for less sideways movement during the shoulder passes.
The advancing pass may also be by the left shoulders, although it will be called as a "Left Dosado", a "Left Dos-a-dos" or a "Left Do-Si-Do".
While executing this move, the girls may move their skirts with their hands from side to side (skirtwork), flaring it to the right as right shoulders pass, and to the left as left shoulders pass.
Spelling usage by different dances
"Dosado" and "Do Sa Do" are the standardized spellings used in modern western square dancingModern Western square dance
Modern Western square dance is one of two types of square dancing, along with traditional square dance. As a dance form, modern Western square dance grew out of traditional Western dance...
. The former is the one used by Callerlab
Callerlab
Callerlab is the international association of square dance callers, and is the largest square dance association in the United States. After some initial work started in 1971, it was officially established in 1974 by several members of the Square Dance Hall of Fame.Callers from all over the world,...
, the largest international association of square dance callers; the latter is the one used by the American Callers Association
American Callers Association
The American Callers Association is the second largest association of square dance callers in the United States. ACA is a non-profit organization with headquarters at Muscle Shoals, Alabama...
.
"Do-Si-Do" is the spelling used in contra dance.
"Dos-a-dos" is still in current use in conjunction with a number of other dances.
Styling
StylingGenre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
traditions, or the addition of flourishes to a basic step, tend to be local, and not all dancers like to do styling, but nevertheless a common styling done to the dosado is the "Hungarian Swing" or "Highland Fling
Scottish highland dance
The term Highland dance or Highland dancing is used today to refer to a style of athletic solo dancing which developed in the Gaelic Highlands of Scotland...
" styling. This addition to the basic step is accomplished as follows:
- The two people, who are initially facing each other, step forward as if they will pass each other by the right shoulder (as in a normal Dosado), but they stop momentarily when they are right hip-to-right hip
- They stretch right arms across each other and place right hands on each other's waist, simultaneously they lift left arms up with left hands above their own heads, in what is perceived as a "Highland Fling" position
- They pivot around 360° together, rotating on the balls of their inner feet
- They release hand holds and lower arms into a neutral stance, and adjust slightly backwards so they are facing each other
Even with styling the move should take no longer to execute than a normal Dosado.
In contra dance it is common for experienced dancers to embellish the move by making one or more clockwise turns as they going around the other dancer.
Dosado variations
The Dosado can also be fractionalized— 1/4 Dosado results in the active dancers standing side-by-side right hip-to-right hip, 1/2 Dosado results in the active dancers standing back-to-back, and 3/4 Dosado results in the active dancers standing side-by-side left hip-to-left hip. When standing side-to-side the dancers join adjacent hands palm-to-palm to make a mini-wave (in the case of two people), an ocean wave (in the case of three-six people), or a tidal wave (in the case of eight people).A Dosado 1½ would be a full (or normal) Dosado and an additional 1/2 Dosado, resulting in the dancers standing back-to-back. Dosado variants are often considered entertaining "gimmicks".
See also
- Glossary of partner dance termsGlossary of partner dance termsThis is a list of dance terms that are not names of dances or types of dances. See List of dances and List of dance style categories for those.This glossary lists terms used in various types of partner dances, leaving out terms of highly evolved or specialized dance forms, such as ballet, tap...
- Square danceSquare danceSquare dance is a folk dance with four couples arranged in a square, with one couple on each side, beginning with Couple 1 facing away from the music and going counter-clockwise until getting to Couple 4. Couples 1 and 3 are known as the head couples, while Couples 2 and 4 are the side couples...
- Contra danceContra danceContra dance refers to several partnered folk dance styles in which couples dance in two facing lines...
- English Country DanceEnglish Country DanceEnglish Country Dance is a form of folk dance. It is a social dance form, which has earliest documented instances in the late 16th century. Queen Elizabeth I of England is noted to have been entertained by "Country Dancing," although the relationship of the dances she saw to the surviving dances of...