Re: definitions

[Helen Winkler <winklerh...>]

I think that framework for defining dance would work quite well.
Helen

Helen Winkler
winklerh (at) hotmail(dot)com
Helen's Yiddish Dance Page
http://www.angelfire.com/ns/helenwinkler
Calgary Folkdance Fridays
http://www.cadvision.com/winklerj/cff.html
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Pete Rushefsky" <klezbanjo (at) yahoo(dot)com>
To: "World music from a Jewish slant" <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
Sent: Monday, January 07, 2002 9:28 AM
Subject: Re: definitions


> Could one deal with dances using a similar taxonomy to
> what Zev Feldman devised for klezmer tunes.  Please
> excuse me for jotting these down in a rather imprecise
> fashion but basically there are 4 (see Zev's oft-cited
> "Bulgar" article for a much more thorough discussion):
> 
> 1. Core (i.e., recognized as uniquely "Jewish" by
> practitioners & non-Jewish observers)
> 
> 2.  Transitional (i.e. forms that were appropriated by
> Jews and then modified into a Jewish form-- e.g., the
> instrumental forms of horas, doinas, bulgars).
> 
> 3.  Coterritorial-- repertoire of coterritorial ethnic
> groups (e.g., Polish obereks, Ukranian kolomeykas,
> etc.)
> 
> 4.  Cosmopolitan-- repertoire of cosmopolitan status:
> (e.g., German waltzes)
> 
> Of course the taxonomy is highly time dependent-- the
> history of the sher might be a good example (and I'm
> no expert on the sher's history)-- the sher may have
> been first performed by Jewish dancers as a
> cosmopolitan French quadrille then adapted to a
> transitionally Jewish form.  As the Jewish sher's
> music and steps evolved by the late 19th/early 20th
> century it could perhaps be seen as a "core" Jewish
> form.
> 
> Pete Rushefsky
> 
> 
> 
> 
> --- Helen Winkler <winklerh (at) hotmail(dot)com> wrote:
> > I've been thinking about the discussion re:  what to
> > call the dances that we do to klezmer music (Yiddish
> > dancing? klezmer dancing?) and also about the
> > discussion of whether Yiddish dancing sometimes is
> > freestyle and sometimes is lead by a dance leader.
> > When you look at the whole variety of dances that
> > are done to klezmer music, it's clear that although
> > some are more Jewish in character, others are shared
> > experience dances (Jews did them and so did the
> > non-Jewish neighbours down the road; e.g., sirba).
> > Still others were ballroom dances (Steve Weintraub
> > and I have been looking into Pas d'espagne for
> > example).  I find it interesting to include dances
> > from all categories when teaching sessions.  They
> > all carry with them interesting bits of history and
> > the contrast in styles  are fun to juxtapose.  So,
> > whatever we want to call this dance genre, I would
> > vote for keeping a fairly open definition.
> > Helen
> >
> > Helen Winkler
> > winklerh (at) hotmail(dot)com
> > Helen's Yiddish Dance Page
> > http://www.angelfire.com/ns/helenwinkler
> > Calgary Folkdance Fridays
> > http://www.cadvision.com/winklerj/cff.html
> >
> 
> 
> __________________________________________________
> Do You Yahoo!?
> Send FREE video emails in Yahoo! Mail!
> http://promo.yahoo.com/videomail/
> 
> 
> 

---------------------- jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org ---------------------+