Israeli folk dancing
Encyclopedia
Israeli folk dancing is a form of dance
usually performed to music from Israel
, with dances choreographed for specific songs. Most Israeli dances are performed in a circle, although there are also partner dances and line dances.
, by combining elements from other dance cultures with the music and themes of modern Israel. Most of these dances were created specifically to be danced in Israel by Israelis, young and old, as a way of celebrating the spirit of the new country. Others were created for professional or semi-professional performing dance groups. Israeli folk dancing is a popular recreational activity in Israel and has also spread over time to other countries around the world.
Israeli folk dancing is similar to country-western
line dancing
in the U.S.
as they have both a fixed and repeating choreography
or set of steps that go with a specific piece of music. A yotzer is a choreographer who selects a particular piece of music, usually Israeli, and arranges a set of steps to fit with that music. The formation of the dance might be a circle, or perhaps couples, or trios or short lines. Or it might be a group/line formation as in country-western line dancing. A dance's tempo may be fast or slow. The movements themselves are varied, with roots in the Hora
, the Yemenite step, Klezmer
music and dancing of Eastern European Jews
, and other parts of the world from the Mizrahi
and Sephardic
cultures.
and Israeli folk songs, and is typically danced to the music of Hava Nagila
. This is the most common dance done at Jewish life cycle joyous events such as weddings
and Bar and Bat Mitzvahs.
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
usually performed to music from Israel
Music of Israel
The music of Israel is a combination of Jewish and non-Jewish music traditions that have come together over the course of a century to create a distinctive musical culture. For more than 100 years, musicians have sought original stylistic elements that would define the emerging national spirit...
, with dances choreographed for specific songs. Most Israeli dances are performed in a circle, although there are also partner dances and line dances.
History and description
Originally, Israeli folk dances were introduced as way to create a new culture in an old-new landCulture of Israel
The culture of Israel developed long before the foundation of the State of Israel in 1948 and combines the heritage of secular and religious lives. Much of the diversity in Israel's culture comes from the diversity of its population...
, by combining elements from other dance cultures with the music and themes of modern Israel. Most of these dances were created specifically to be danced in Israel by Israelis, young and old, as a way of celebrating the spirit of the new country. Others were created for professional or semi-professional performing dance groups. Israeli folk dancing is a popular recreational activity in Israel and has also spread over time to other countries around the world.
Israeli folk dancing is similar to country-western
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
line dancing
Line dance
A line dance is a choreographed dance with a repeated sequence of steps in which a group of people dance in one or more lines or rows without regard for the gender of the individuals, all facing the same direction, and executing the steps at the same time. Line dancers are not in physical contact...
in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as they have both a fixed and repeating choreography
Choreography
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
or set of steps that go with a specific piece of music. A yotzer is a choreographer who selects a particular piece of music, usually Israeli, and arranges a set of steps to fit with that music. The formation of the dance might be a circle, or perhaps couples, or trios or short lines. Or it might be a group/line formation as in country-western line dancing. A dance's tempo may be fast or slow. The movements themselves are varied, with roots in the Hora
Hora
Hora is a type of circle dance originating in the Balkans but also found in other countries. The name is cognate to the Greek χορός : 'dance' which is cognate with the ancient Greek art form of χορεία; see Chorea. The original meaning of the Greek word χορός may have been 'circle'...
, the Yemenite step, Klezmer
Klezmer
Klezmer is a musical tradition of the Ashkenazic Jews of Eastern Europe. Played by professional musicians called klezmorim, the genre originally consisted largely of dance tunes and instrumental display pieces for weddings and other celebrations...
music and dancing of Eastern European Jews
Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim , are the Jews descended from the medieval Jewish communities along the Rhine in Germany from Alsace in the south to the Rhineland in the north. Ashkenaz is the medieval Hebrew name for this region and thus for Germany...
, and other parts of the world from the Mizrahi
Mizrahi Jews
Mizrahi Jews or Mizrahiyim, , also referred to as Adot HaMizrach are Jews descended from the Jewish communities of the Middle East, North Africa and the Caucasus...
and Sephardic
Sephardi Jews
Sephardi Jews is a general term referring to the descendants of the Jews who lived in the Iberian Peninsula before their expulsion in the Spanish Inquisition. It can also refer to those who use a Sephardic style of liturgy or would otherwise define themselves in terms of the Jewish customs and...
cultures.
Yemenite dance
Yemenite dance (rikud Temani) is based on the Yemenite step (tza'ad temani), a dance move consisting of a three-step sequence executed in place with a short pause on the final step ("quick, quick, slow"). The step can be done to the right, left, forward and back.Hora
The hora is a circle dance that predates the State of Israel. The hora is the unofficial king of Jewish and Israeli folk dances. It can be performed to many of the traditional klezmerKlezmer
Klezmer is a musical tradition of the Ashkenazic Jews of Eastern Europe. Played by professional musicians called klezmorim, the genre originally consisted largely of dance tunes and instrumental display pieces for weddings and other celebrations...
and Israeli folk songs, and is typically danced to the music of Hava Nagila
Hava Nagila
"Hava Nagila" is a Hebrew folk song that has become a staple of band performers at Jewish weddings and Bar/Bat Mitzvahs.-History:...
. This is the most common dance done at Jewish life cycle joyous events such as weddings
Jewish wedding
A Jewish wedding is a wedding ceremony that follows Jewish law and traditions.While wedding ceremonies vary, common features of a Jewish wedding include a ketuba signed by two witnesses, a wedding canopy , a ring owned by the groom that is given to the bride under the canopy, and the breaking of a...
and Bar and Bat Mitzvahs.
Notable choreographers
- Yo'av Ashriel
- Sefi Aviv
- Shlomo Bachar
- Marco Ben Shimon
- Fred Berk
- Gadi Bitton
- Dani Dassa
- Ya'akov Eden
- David Edery
- Moshe Eskayo
- Jonathan Gabay
- Shmulik Gov-Ari
- Moshiko Halevi
- Gurit KadmanGurit KadmanGurit Kadman was an Israeli dance instructor and choreographer, and is considered the mother of Israeli folk dancing.-Life:Gurit Kadman was born Gertrude Loewenstein in Leipzig, Germany in 1897 to an assimilated Jewish family who could trace their roots to Prague...
- Else Dublon
- Yonatan Karmon
- Yankele Levy
- Shlomo Maman
- Israel Shiker
- Yaron Ben Simchon
- Rivka Sturman
- Bentzi Tiram
- Israel Yakovee
- Rafi Ziv
See also
- Culture of IsraelCulture of IsraelThe culture of Israel developed long before the foundation of the State of Israel in 1948 and combines the heritage of secular and religious lives. Much of the diversity in Israel's culture comes from the diversity of its population...
- Jewish danceJewish danceJewish dance refers to dance associated with Jews and Judaism. Dance has long been used by Jews as a medium for the expression of joy and other communal emotions...
- Folk danceFolk danceThe term folk dance describes dances that share some or all of the following attributes:*They are dances performed at social functions by people with little or no professional training, often to traditional music or music based on traditional music....
- International folk danceInternational folk danceInternational folk dance is a genre of dance wherein selected folk dances from multiple ethnic groups are done by the same dancers, typically as part of a regular recreational dance club, for performances or at other events. The dances are typically considered the products of national or cultural...
- Jewish Horah
- Music of IsraelMusic of IsraelThe music of Israel is a combination of Jewish and non-Jewish music traditions that have come together over the course of a century to create a distinctive musical culture. For more than 100 years, musicians have sought original stylistic elements that would define the emerging national spirit...
- Mayim Mayim
- Eshkol-Wachman Movement NotationEshkol-Wachman Movement NotationEshkol-Wachman Movement Notation is a notation system for recording movement on paper or computer screen. The system was created in Israel by dance theorist Noa Eshkol and Avraham Wachman, a professor of architecture at the Technion.The system is used in many fields, including dance, physical...
External links
- Israeli Dance.com Dance groups around the world
- http://www.israeltanz.deseminars and workshops in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland
- Israeli Dances.com
- Israeli Dancing.info Comprehensive dance information