Re: MItzvah music and dance

[Marvin <physchem...>]

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Leonard Koenick 
  To: World music from a Jewish slant 
  Sent: Thursday, July 18, 2002 10:02 AM
  Subject: RE: MItzvah music and dance


  I suspect the difference is who is attending “Greek fests” and who attends a 
nightclub.

   

  Leonard

   

  -----Original Message-----
  From: owner-jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org [mailto:owner-jewish-music (at) 
shamash(dot)org]On Behalf Of MaxwellSt (at) aol(dot)com
  Sent: Wednesday, July 17, 2002 8:53 PM
  To: World music from a Jewish slant
  Subject: Re: MItzvah music and dance

   

  In a message dated 7/17/2002 5:32:31 PM Central Daylight Time, lkoenick (at) 
erols(dot)com writes:





  It is not just our Jewish community that has lost the ability to do its
  social dances.  The general population has done the same.  



  I don't know....All the Greek fests that I have attended have lots of 
traditional Greek dancing, and both men and women seem to know how to do it.  
But it may all be inconsequential--one generation from now, no one except a few 
old people and folkdancers/singers may know the traditions of ANY culture.  
Kind of like the conquistadors burning down the Mayan libraries, except this 
time it's being done by radios and CDs.
  Lori
------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Relative to that: The Smithonian Folk Festival this year featured performers 
and craftspeople from areas along the Silk Road, from Japan to Venice.  One of 
the performing groups was the Ulyas Mazaev Ensemble, from the Bukharin Jewish 
community in Queens.  (Anyone who thinks he can define what is Jewish music 
should hear this music.)  The musicians and singers were middle-aged immigrants 
from that region, but the dancer was a young American from New Mexico, who 
happened to have an interest in the dance, and had studied in that Asian 
region.  One wonders if there are many young descendents of the immigrants who 
want to make careers of their cultural activities.  My guess is that, if the 
tradition dies out, it is unlikely to be revived a generation later, as has 
happened with klezmer.

When the group's singer (I understand she is Mr Mazaev's wife) began to sing, 
the audience really woke up from the somnolent Washington heat.  It put me in 
mind of another housewife from Queens who had a way with audiences - Ethel 
Merman.