Re: Freilekhs or Bulgar?

[Helen Winkler <winklerh...>]

The version contributed to my web site came from Jacob Bloom (thanks Jacob) 
who learned from Michael Alpert.  Another dancer mentioned to me that she 
thought the bulgar was different but didn't give me details of how it was 
different.
In the Video Dancing Into Marriage, Jill Gellerman is shown teaching the 
same sort of basic footwork pattern but going to the left instead of to the 
right and omitting the shoulder hold.  She called it the Chasidic Hora.

I find it is difficult to locate written descriptions of these dances and it 
would be nice to have such a resource available.

The Rivkind book that we are translating from Hebrew to English has a 
chapter about dance that has some interesting points.  For example, Rivkind 
says the Patch Tanz was created by Rebbe Elimelech's brother, Rabbi Zusha 
from Hanpoli,  and was originally danced without music and was called the 
Shtiler dance or  quiet dance.  "The ideas of the quiet dance is to teach 
the Jews to worship God quietly without any noise, music or words."

He also says that the Chasidim had their own version of Sher called 
Hakhnaah, created by Rabbi Elimelech Meliznasak. I'll quote from the text  
"why it was named Hakhnaah dance (Hebrew for respect and fear)--because when 
in the dance dancers bowed their heads it was a symbol of the gesture to 
show respect to others"
Helen


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