*2nd Generation dance. A dance that developed and was disseminated in a non-traditional way. 2G dances are specific – have a fixed format designed to correspond with the arrangement of a particular recording., whereas 1G dances are generic – have a shorter sequence that works with live music – where many different songs are played and arrangements vary according to the tastes of musicians and dancers. For more on the differences between 1st & 2nd G dances click here.
Mori Shej – the Song
MORI SHEJ (MOH-ree Shay) “(My) Daughter” MORI SHEJ is a song recorded in 1995 for the album O SUNO by the Hungarian Roma group Kalyi Jag. (Hungaroton 18211). They usually record traditional material, but member Joszef Balough wrote this lullaby for his daughter, Sabina.
and Sabina, the Mori Shej, with (presumably) her mother?
Mori Shej – the Dance
Later, Laura Shannon and Jimmy Drury wrote separate choreographies for the song. Shannon’s is more popular in Europe. Drury’s, (spread by Lee Otterholt), is more popular in North America. NOTE: These choreographies, purposely composed for the International Folk Dance and Circle Dance communities, should not be confused with the individualistic, spontaneous, improvised moves, (seldom involving holding hands), that are characteristic of Hungarian Roma dancing. Below is an example.
You’ll see their feet better by going to this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXmMyH0GvRA
Drury Choreography
Shannon Arrangement
According to Laura’s own written notes, she was attending the 1995 Gypsy Music Festival in Switzerland, where she saw Hungarian Roma dancing in the traditional solo style known as olah – Hungarian for Vlach (see 1989 example above). However “at one point the female singer of the olah group Kek Lang (who appear in Tony Gatliff’s film Latcho Drom) encouraged everyone to join hands in a circle and dance together. At home, I arranged her steps in a sequence to create a circle dance.”
Folkdance Footnotes 