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Šota

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BACKGROUND

Information: A dance.

Translation: Peat

Pronunciation: SHOH-tah

Region: Serbia

Meter: 2/4

Note: Another Šota, provenance unknown – Formation: Line, hands joined and raised eye-high, or solo opposite a partner or in small groups.

BARS ACTION
  Introduction.
  Depends on your recording or band.
 
    The Dance
1 Step to R onto R foot (ct 1), step in front of or behind R foot onto L foot (ct 2).
2 Step in place onto R foot (ct 1), step behind R foot onto ball of L foot (ct &), step in place again onto R foot (ct 2).
3 Step in place onto L foot (ct 1), step behind L foot onto ball of R foot (ct &), step in place again onto L foot (ct 2).
 
Note: Throughout the dance, flex your knees a bit on counts 1 and 2 of each bar and straighten your knees on the off-beats (ct &), to make the dance bouncy.
 
    Optional Limps
1 Step to R onto ball of R foot (upbeat preceding ct 1), step in front of R foot onto L foot (ct 1), step to R onto ball of R foot (upbeat preceding ct 2), step in front of R foot onto L foot (ct 2).
 
Note: The "step-close" I mentioned is not behind . . . this would make the styling a little different. Also, you do not have the "double-time" option or the turn-180 option . . . also the grapevine option.

You do mention the knee flex and bouncy nature of the dance . . . so I think this is close. I can see where the base of the dance is similar to many other dances, but the bounces and different options give it a different feel.

ŠOTA FROM MILWAUKEE SERBS

As I stated in my last message, I think the Serbs borrowed the Albanian music and put their own steps to the music. Steve Petrovič calls the dance "The Shuffle Step" (not referring in any way to the Armenian< Shuffle). I have never seen a Serb here do a couple dance to Šota (when the bands were playing it before the "troubles" in Kosovo). Also, I can't remember any Serbs here doing Čočeks, except when Izgrev showed up at the last Serbian event and someone else led the dance . . . the Serbs present kind of followed along and some did do Čoček . . . but not to Ramo, Ramo.

Apparently the Serbs have a separate dance (Shuffle Step) for Ramo, Ramo and Šota. A few years ago I saw local Serbs doing another different step:

Shuffle Step:

Step R onto R foot
Cross in front of R foot onto L foot
Step to R onto R foot, close L foot to R foot, no weight
Step L onto L foot, close R foot to L foot, no weight

(This is all done in a bouncy manner, flexing and straightening knees on each beat.)

Variations:

Double-time

Grapevine step

–Forrest

DOCUMENT

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