Re: Dancing

[Willadance <Willadance...>]

I don't think we are going to come up with a title to best describe dancing 
to Klezmer music.  When I teach at senior camp, most of the participants are 
over the age of 80.  It doesn't matter whether I refer to the dancing as 
Klezmer or Yiddish: they ask if it is something different from Israeli or 
assume it is Hasidic.  It is amazing to me that when I mention that I do or 
teach Klezmer dance there are still many people who don't know the term 
Klezmer or know anything about the music.  Some of these people are Jewish.

> I find that, when I'm in a situation where there is a lot of
> instruction, dancers tend to do "follow the leader" and don't do
> their own movements.
I personally feel this is a good thing.  When I'm leading a group of people 
of different ages, sizes, ability (and these are not dancers but people who 
get up to dance for only certain occasions) this type of repetitiveness helps 
them feel as if they are doing a real Klezmer/Yiddish dance because it is 
identifiable as khosidl or bulgar or whatever and when they see everyone else 
is doing it they same way they feel a certain amount of success or 
accomplishment.  Especially if a dance is fast like a freylach, the more 
people dance somewhat alike the less chance of the mish mash.

And on the subject of Israeli dancing,  What a treat it would be to be able 
to do Israeli dancing at a wedding or other simcha with others who know the 
dances well with a musician or band that can play the music exactly as it is 
meant to be danced.  Those of us who do know it well and dance it well never 
look as if we are just jumping and running around the circle. I think what 
most of us encounter at simchas are people who get up to dance and not 
dancers.  The energy and enthusiasm is much different when knowledable 
dancers are dancing.  It's a shame that when Israeli dancers are invited to a 
big party we end up using recorded music.  Just think of the energy that 
could be generated by a band who knows how to play these great dance tunes 
for dancers who know how to dance to them.  

Willa(always ready to dance)Horowitz


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Willa Horowitz 

Leader and teacher of Israeli, Jewish and International folk dance 

130 Mount Sanford Road 
Hamden, CT 06518 
203-248-0291