Re: Bottle Dance from Fiddler on the Roof

[Steve Weintraub <dancinsteve...>]

I understand, from an oral source, that Jerome Robbins, when researching 
Fiddler on the Roof, was invited by Dvorah Lapson ( a Jewish choreographer 
active in NY) to visit a Chassidic wedding in Brooklyn.  There JR saw an 
especially  invited guest (because he was such a well-known dancer) doing a 
very agile bottle dance.  Evidintly, JR was much impressed, and decided to 
include it in his show, but decided to slow down the tempo in order to make it 
look harder!

>From other dancers who had performed the bottle dance in Fiddler, I learned it 
>is best to use a champagne bottle, which is heavier and not likely to break if 
>dropped, and also that some prop departments put a little wax and lead shot 
>(like for a shotgun) in order to make the bottle even more bottomheavy.
For young dancers, some liquours come in substantial looking plastic bottles, 
which if weighted, are very easy to learn to balance.  When I teach the bottle 
dance, I tell people it's like carrrying glasses on a tray, you have to be 
careful of sudden changes of direction and stops. I encourage them to finish 
each path with a little "settling down" of the body, a slight knee bend or 
"plie". This helps steady the  bottle before the next move. It's good to start 
practicing with a plastic soda bottle with a few inches of water, and then 
graduate to glass.

By the way, the name Flashtanz comes up frequently in descriptions of European 
Yiddish dancing, so it's certainly not an American invention.

Hope that's not too much information. 

"Have bottle, will travel"
-Steve

ps Joe is a wonderful bottle dancer and a great Khoisidel partner!
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: MaxwellSt (at) aol(dot)com 
  To: World music from a Jewish slant 
  Sent: Thursday, June 06, 2002 11:13 AM
  Subject: Re: Bottle Dance from Fiddler on the Roof


  I think that a small thread on this subject would be of interest to all....I 
say, post replies to the group.
  Lori