Jews & Dance

 Judaism and dancing have a long and intricate relationship that dates back centuries. In Jewish tradition, dancing plays an important role in celebrations and religious rituals. Jewish music and dance have evolved over time, embracing influences from different cultures and regions. Whether we're performing the traditional hora or experimenting with new forms of Jewish fusion dance, the spirit of Jewish dance remains the same - vibrant, joyous, and full of meaning.

Biblical dancing , along with drums, is associated with the celebrations of military victories and welcoming home heroes who hav e routed an enemy. The women’s role was to receive and extol the fighters.

Some examples include Miriam dancing after the crossing of the Dead Sea (Exodus), Jephtah's daughter's dancing upon his return (Judges), King Saul and David being greeted by women dancing (1 Samuel), and Judith's victory dance (Judith).

Jewish wedding dances are an integral part of Jewish life around the world. 

Some traditional Ashkenazi dances include:

• The Krenzl, in which the bride's mother is crowned with a wreath of flowers as her daughters dance around her (traditionally at the wedding of the mother's last unwed daughter).

• The Mizinke, a dance for the parents of the bride or groom when their last child is wed.

• The Horah, a circle dance. Dancers link arms or hold hands, and move with a grapevine step. In large groups, concentric circles may be formed.

• The gladdening of the bride, in which guests dance around the bride, and can include the use of "shtick"—silly items such as signs, banners, costumes, confetti, and jump ropes made of table napkins.

• The Mitzvah tantz, in which family members and honored rabbis are invited to dance in front of the bride (or sometimes with the bride in the case of a father or grandfather), often holding a gartel, and then dancing with the groom. At the end the bride and groom dance together themselves.

The Jews of Yemen are among the most prominent traditional cultures attributing dynamic importance to dance in the daily and festive life of the community.

Dance among the Yemenite Jews comprises stylistic diversity characteristic of urban and rural settlements as well as including women and men. Dancing usually takes place during ceremonies and celebrations.

Men’s dances are composed of steps and figures executed in a very small area. The dominant line is vertical–with agile, springy bending of the knees. The very expressive hands are used for an infinite variety of gestures. One or two singers, rhythm instruments, or hand clapping always accompany the dance, but no melodic instruments are used.

The women’s dances are less variegated and more restrained. They are accompanied by the singing of the dancers themselves, or that of two female musicians who beat the rhythm respectively on copper plate and drum.

With the rise of Hasidism in Eastern Europe in the 18th century, dance became a tool for expressing joy and is believed to purify the soul, promote spiritual elation and unify the community. It also thought to stimulate joy and therefore to have a therapeutic effect.

Hasidic dance assumed the form of the circle, symbolic of the Hasidic philosophy that “every one is equal, each one being a link in the chain, the circle having no front or rear, no beginning or ending.” The Hasidim would start their dancing in slow tempo, and as the music became faster they held arms upwards and leapt in the air in an effort to reach spiritual ecstasy. 

The Hasidim danced on holidays and Shabbat nights around the rabbi’s banquet table, and at Havdallah they danced with mystical fervor. Hasidic dancing has influenced the celebrations at Jewish festivals generally, and has served as the basis and inspiration of choreography on Jewish themes in ballet.

Israeli Folk Dance is a form of dance usually performed to songs in Hebrew, or to other songs which have been popular in Israel, with dances choreographed for specific songs. Israeli dances include circle, partner and line dances. As almost all dances are intentionally choreographed, and the choreographers are known and attributed, the reference to these dances as "folk dances" is sometimes controversial among the general folk dance community. The recent trend of dances becoming much more complex and "professional" has led some to use the alternative term "Recreational Israeli Dancing".

In Russia and France, the Ballets Russes was "primarily a Jewish creation," according to Paul Johnson. In the United States, Jewish choreographers and dancers have been leading figures in the dance world, among them Jerome Robbins, Anna Sokolow, Michael Bennett, Michael Kidd, Ron Field, Arthur Murray, Helen Tamiris and Pearl Lang. Lincoln Kirstein was one of the founders of the School of American Ballet, The American Ballet and the New York City Ballet.

One of the pioneers of modern dance in Israel was Gertrud Kraus, who immigrated to Mandate Palestine in 1935 and formed a modern dance company affiliated with the Tel Aviv Folk Opera. In 1950-1951, she founded the Israel Ballet Theatre, and became its artistic director. Contemporary dance in Israel is influenced by Israeli folk dance and European traditions. Dance companies include the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company, Inbal Dance Theater, Bat-Dor Dance Company and Batsheva Dance Company.

• https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/all-my-bones-cry-out-to-the-lord/ 

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_folk_dance 

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_dance