December Israeli dancing in Vermont

December 2009 Israeli Dancing in Vermont

Ohavi Zedek Synagogue
Socials Room 188
North Prospect Street
Burlington, VT

Office: 802.864.0218, ext. 21

Experience the fun with beginners to 40-year veterans!
Dances are taught, reviewed and prompted step by step.
Most are done in circles and lines, so no partner is needed.
Wear comfortable clothes and soft-soled shoes with clean tread.
Feel free to bring a dance, with music on CD, to teach.

$2 per session, free to first - timers

Next Dances
December 13: 1:45-4 PM (at our annual Chanukah Party)
December 27: 6:30-9 PM

Email Portia: portico@stowevt.net to be on our contact list.
In extreme weather, make sure we are meeting by calling her:
802.888.5706 before 5 PM on any dance date.

Shorter Partner Steps at the End of the Evening

Saw this proposed on the Rikud Yahoo group and replied there.

Short partner sets of 3 dances followed by a circle dance might be a good way to encourage changing partners.

In Argentine Tango they play a set of 3 dances with a break in between. The 3 dances are all of the same type, like traditional
tango, tango waltz or milonga (quick tango).

When you dance with someone, it is for all three dances. After the set, you dance with someone else.

Also see www.IsraeliPartnerDancing.com

November 1 2009 England Manchester - Roberto Haddon Isralei dance workshop at Manchester Maccabi

Roberto attracting bookings from all over the UK - resent

NOW BOOKING

This exciting workshop is attracting bookings from London, Scotland and circle as well as Israeli dancers - so please book ahead as
we need to know numbers urgently.

If you are planning to come, please at least ask us to put your name down without obligation on the list. We really don't want to
turn anyone away.

There will be a wonderful party atmosphere as well as teaching and dancing for all levels - so if you are dipping your toe in the
water for the first time, an experienced dancer, or anything in between .... please get in touch!

November 1 1.30 - 5.30 pm Israeli dance workshop with Roberto Haddon.

Tisha'ari Od Ktzat

Tisha'ari Od Ktzat
Stay a Bit Longer
2006
Mali Lipson & Moshe
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5221105508966440790#

Chagigah, A Weekend Of Israeli Dance

Philip B. Moss sent a message to the members of Chagigah, A Weekend Of Israeli Dance.

--------------------
Subject: Chagigat Hilulim II - The excitement builds!

Please help us out by passing this on to your friends and mailing lists. If you need flyers, please email Philip_b_moss@hotmail.com
or hilulimusa@gmail.com. Apologies in advance to those who will receive multiple copies of this message.

Subject: Chagigat Hilulim II - The excitement builds!

Hi everyone and Shana Tova!

Well, now that the Chagim have begun, it means that camp cannot be far away. So if you haven't done so already, please register to
join us for the Chagigat Hilulim II, the Israeli dance camp of the year!!! Don't miss this weekend!!!

Let's remind you of the basics and then we'll give you some more news.

The Basics
October 16-19, 2009
Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute, Oconomowoc Wisconsin (near Milwaukee)

with a fabulous faculty consisting of some of the best markidim and yotzrim on the planet:

Ofer Alfasi
Gadi Bitton
Yaron Carmel
Victor Gabbay
Shmulik Gov-Ari

directed by:

Yossi Almani
Etty Dolgin
Karen Kaplan
Phil Moss

and staffed by:

William Harvey (awesome late night DJ)

Further info and the application can be found at http://www.facebook.com/l/ecc89;www.orsrui.org under "year round." Or contact our
wonderful Chagigah Registrar, Barbara Gordon: osruiprograms@urj.org or 1 847 509 0990 x3

Program/Housing Update
This year, Hilulim joins Chagigah to celebrate Chagigah's Chai (18th) year. This combination of two great camps is sure to lead to
a most memorable Israeli dance weekend. In addition to tons of dancing, we will have numerous special programs, surprises and
events including a tribute to Tel Aviv's 100th birthday. You can count on this wonderful faculty to create a lot of fun and
excitement on and off the dance floor throughout the weekend.

Regarding housing, there is some good news and some bad news. The good news is that we still have a few semi-private rooms
available on campus in a lovely facility called Nerenberg. It is a new building with nice rooms, a spacious common area, and nice
communal bathrooms down the hall. The bad news is that our semi-private rooms with en-suite bathrooms are now wait listed. But
wait, there is more good news. We still have plenty of space in our dorms/cabins. And, we have opened up a room block at the Lake
Country Inn of Oconomowoc! For those who still want to join us but weren't able to get their preferred accommodation on campus, we
have negotiated a deal at this close-by (5 minute drive), inexpensive motel. Follow this link for further information:
http://www.facebook.com/l/ecc89;www.theunionstation.com/lakecountry/. To make a reservation, call 262-569-9600 and say that you
would like to reserve a room in the Phil Moss/OSRUI room block. Please remember though that you still need to apply to OSRUI (per
the above) and be confirmed for off-site accommodation in advance. Walk-ins are not accepted.

Pre-Camp Party (Thursday, October 15)
We strongly encourage and invite everyone to join us for our traditional pre-camp dance party/workshop which takes place at our
Chicago Thursday night session. Faculty and staff will be with us for what is always a wonderful and exciting night. We will start
at 7:30PM with our usual teaching session for beginners. At 8PM we'll start the workshop with the teachers, followed by open
dancing. The location will be Temple Judea Mizpah, 8610 Niles Center Road, Skokie IL 60076. By the way, if you are coming from
out of town and need home hospitality for Thursday night and/or a ride to camp on Friday, please let Phil know.

Yaron Ben-Simchon
We recently found out that our friend Yaron will not be joining us at Chagigat Hilulim II. We hope he will be with us some time in
the future.

Further Information
For registration/OSRUI-related questions, please contact Barbara Gordon, per the above.

For questions related to the program, please contact:
- Yossi Almani: hilulimusa@gmail.com or 860-985-7550
- Phil Moss: Philip_b_moss@hotmail.com or 847-274-1809

We very much look forward to seeing you at the camp of the year, Chagigat Hilulim II

Yossi Almani
Etty Dolgin
Karen Kaplan
Phil Moss
--------------------

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Unleadable Sequence in nachon sheat kan

Hi Jeff,

1. Some details of choreography will not be able
to be preserved because choreographers do not know
what we know about what is leadable. Some minor
adustments will need to be made to make some partner
dances work better. The idea is to preserve the
woman's choreography as much as possible and the
man makes the adjustments. This dance offers good
illustrations of this point.

2. The man and woman's footwork is optional and can
be syncopated as long as it does not affect their partner.

3. When separating, the woman's movement is optional
as long as she arrives back to where she is supposed
to be on time.

With these three points, we can address your questions.

>> Shortly after the do si do part that I spoke of above,
>> the woman turns and is facing out with the man behind her.
>> The hand hold is RR and LL. Last week, I perceived this as
>> both dancers doing the same steps as we sort of grapevine
>> to our own L. Now, I see that the footwork is
>> different for the man and the woman.

AW: See point 2 above

>> I see no way
>> to lead the woman's turn after the do si do

AW: You could lead the woman's turn easily enough by
modifying your own movement, making connection with the
hands and using your hand to signal the turn.
See point 1 above.

Another possibility is to say this follows point 3 above
and the woman's turn is optional. Then the man would also
have an optional turn at the same point.

>> What do you think? Is this really social dancing?

AW: The choreography cannot be signaled as done in this video.
Therefore if the choreography must be done as in this video,
it would be a performance dance. However the choreography
could be done close enough for my standards with minor
changes, so for me, this still is a social dance.

For me, a perfomance dance is going to have lifts, drops,
tricks, things that people do not maintain their own balance.
Performance dances will have separate parts for the man and
woman where the woman will not be looking at the man. For
example, she comes forward facing the audience on her own
and does some choreography with the man in the background
that he obviously cannot be leading.

If he can signal the choreography close enough, with only
minor changes to his part, for me that is still social dancing.

Thanks,
Andy

-----Original Message-----
From: Jeff.Su@SBCGlobal.net [mailto:Jeff.Su@SBCGlobal.net]
Sent: Friday, September 11, 2009 5:07 AM
To: Andrew Weitzen
Subject: Re: Unleadable Sequence?

Andrew Weitzen wrote:
> Hi Jeff, see below - A
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jeff.Su@SBCGlobal.net [mailto:Jeff.Su@SBCGlobal.net]
> Sent: Friday, September 04, 2009 5:56 PM
> To: Andy Weitzen
> Subject: Unleadable Sequence?
>
> Andy,
>
> This is the Carmiel-winning dancing of the year. I see two things in the
> begining that are problematic leading. The first may just be problematic
> because the woman in the video is not following, but the second is
> something that I think may be invalid choreography for social (v
> performance) dancing.
>
> 1. At the very beginning, at the word "Kan" in the lyrics, the woman
> turns to face the same way as the man. I think this can be led, but not
> the way it is danced in the video.
>
> AW: Agree. She is leading herself at that point,
> and he is just standing there waiting for her to show up.
> You can signal a woman to turn around.
>
> 2. This one is the real problem. Right after the words, "Nachon At
> Rotzah" and after the square-dancing move where the couple walks around
> each other (the name of the sequence escapes me),
>
> AW: do si do
>
> the woman turns while
> the man crosses. There is no physical contact, and the woman has to move
> in the opposite direction as she would if she mirrored him. The only way
> that I can see to lead this without touching is for the man to fake a
> turn for the woman to copy and then abort once it is too late for her to
> abort.
>
> AW: Agree, if she was following she would mirror what he is doing.
>
> Jeff
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUvLfBTi6MQ
>
>
>
Andy,

Last week I came late in the teach, so did not get all the nuances. This
week, Phil reviewed the dance, and there is yet another unleadable part.
Shortly after the do si do part that I spoke of above, the woman turns
and is facing out with the man behind her. The hand hold is RR and LL.
Last week, I perceived this as both dancers doing the same steps as we
sort of grapevine to our own L. Now, I see that the footwork is
different for the man and the woman.

I believe that this is a performance dance. I see no way to lead the
woman's turn after the do si do and the woman's steps as the couple
grapevines to the left as I describe above.

The way that Phil taught this, based on his own video of the
choreographer Marco Ben Shimon, is exactly like this video with one
slight excecption that I do not like. The differene is that Phil taught
the wrap-unwrap sequence releasing his L and her R hand during the
unwrap (so that the woman unwraps herself), whereas I prefer the way it
is done in this video where the hand comes above the woman's head to
unwrap her. That difference is not important, but everything else in
this video is consistant with what Phil taught. So, I don't think that
the dancer is being lazy anywhere.

What do you think? Is this really social dancing?

Jeff

Israeli Partner Dance Session with Partner Rotation

Contributed this to the Israeli Partner Dance group on Yahoo.

------------------------------
Hello All,

If you are going to rotate partners, you must have clear rules. Otherwise you are going to have battles.

You do not have to use my rules, but you must have rules that everyone who rotates agrees to follow. The big rules you must address
are:

A. Are women to follow the men or not. (My rule is follow.)

B. Use of force or no force. (My rule is no force.)

Anyone who is unwilling to follow your rules should not be rotating. The teacher needs to enforce your rules to avoid conflict
between dance partners.

Last night I ran a small Israeli Partner Dance session in someone's house. We had five couples, gender balanced. The session went
real well.

Here is the experience makeup.

- Myself : experienced IPD
- One woman, Erin : experienced IPD
- One woman : intermediate Israeli circle dancing
- One man : beginner Israeli circle dancing
- Other six : beginner to intermediate Contra dancers and some other stuff, minimal or no Israeli dancing

All but one person had been to at least one of my Swing or Israeli classes, so they knew my style.

We took our time and taught three easy dances, taking about a half hour per dance. Here are some things I think were important that
worked well for us.

1. Partner rotation was optional. Everyone choose to rotate, even one couple that does not usually rotate.

2. When we got started, I clearly explained the rule that the choreography was for the men. The woman were to follow their man. It
was invaluable to have Erin there, who completely supports this approach. When a woman asked a question about the choreography,
before I could answer, Erin jumped in and said, "whatever your man leads". I told her the choreography, of course, but also
reinforced that she is to do what her man leads.

3. The first and most important reason for the woman to follow the man is to help the man through the dance. When the woman follows
the man, he can focus on the teacher. He feels less pressure, because he does not have to worry that his partner thinks he is
messing up.

When she does not follow, she distracts him. In our experience this overloads his brain and makes it difficult for him to
concentrate. He also feels pressure from his partner to perform at a level he is not ready for. I believe that if the women were not
following, all the men would have quit after the first dance. I would not try partner rotation without the requirement that women
are to follow.

Only once did I notice a woman looking around and I nicely told her to pay attention to her partner.

4. The second important reason for women to follow is make the couple dance as one.

As the women learn the dances, there is a tendency for them to take the step they know that is coming before the man intiates it.
Even when they wait for the step to be intiated, they may complete the step before the man settles his weight and completes his
step. Although these things may not be obvious to someone looking on, they are unmistakable to a partner. When I noticed this
happening, I reinforced to the women that their role is to take each step with their partner.

I also pointed out to the women how much they have to work on irrespective of the choreography, such as balance, a lovely posture,
walking beautifully, gesturing, and expressing themselves through their movement. There is a lifetime of things for them to improve.

5. Since almost everyone had been to my classes, they knew enough not to use force. People still pull and push a little out of habit
and get tense, so I frequently reinforced the need for them to maintain their own balance, relax and have soft hands and arms.

6. Sprinkled throughout the teaching of the choreography, I slipped in tips on communication and technique.

7. During the teaching, I started by calling out every step, so they learn the exact choreography. When the music is playing, I
mainly only called parts, like in a contra dance, so they know where to go. I want them to listen to the music. I would rather take
more time during teaching so I do not need to call as much when the music is playing. Remember the calls are for the men. For
example, in Stav Lavan part 1b, with music I might say "Forward, back, men behind," whereas during teaching it might have been
"Forward, two, three, back, two, three, men behind, two, three, men behind, two, three".

With regular Israeli dancers, during the music, I call much less, often not at all, because I want them to learn to follow visually,
rely on their balance and listening the music.

8. We rotated partners pretty much every time I taught a new element (roughly one to four measures of music). Mostly we rotated at
least three times for each element. We grouped elements into sub-parts (ie. part 1a) and did those with at least three different
partners. When we had enough material, we practiced with the music, again with at least three partners. When we finished teaching a
dance, we did the dance to music twice, rotating partners. Later on, we did the dance again, with yet another partner. The point
being we switched partners a lot, about as often as possible, and it worked well.

Am sure lots of other methods would work too.

Conclusion: As long as you give people clear rules, most people are happy and partner rotation should not be a big deal.

Rotating or Switching Partners and the Light Touch

Got a response to my post on the IFD Partners list. Here is my reply.

-----Original Message-----
Hello J,

>> I think that the only thing that really
>> needs to be learned is the light touch.

For me, I would also add two more things. First the woman must follow. Second, both people must be willing to learn how to dance
with a partner.

1. The woman must follow.
(Principle of Partnership: the man invites and the woman follows)
http://www.partnershipdancing.com/w/w001/_web/book/p/partnership_dancing/mb/book/b00_03/03_23_partnership.aspx

2. No force.
(Law of Balance: everyone maintains their own balance)
http://www.partnershipdancing.com/w/w001/_web/book/p/partnership_dancing/mb/book/b00_03/04_10_law_of_balance.aspx

3. Willing to learn how to dance with a partner.
In my group that means the method of Partnership Dancing.
Other groups can have their own methods.
But it cannot be left up to the individual.
The group must have a consistent set of rules
that everyone knows and abides by. People do not
have to have mastered all the skills, but they must
be willing to accept the rules.

You Contra dance, right? It is a free-for-all out there. Pushing and pulling and not following. People do it and have fun. So, we
know there are no absolute requirements for changing partners.

What you and I are talking about is drawing a line. Drawing the line at no force is abritrary.

You are picking one rule that fits your expectations. As soon as you have one rule, other people are going to have other rules and
other expectations. As you rotate partners, people are going to fight with one another about how to do this or that. You would not
have solved much with the one rule.

I agree that the most important skills to aquire first are the woman follows and no use of force. These are the big bad things.

I consider the woman following more important than the avoidance of force. When the woman does not follow, the dance is a battle of
wills.

In my opinion, the woman not following is the biggest root cause of the partner dance issues.

The woman not following is what leads to the most frustration, not the use of force. The use of force is exacerbated because the
woman does not follow. If the woman follows, the use of force will be much less.

If the woman is not following, the people cannot dance together. They can dance near each other, but not with each other.

When the woman does not follow, it confuses both people and makes dancing well impossible.

When the woman does not follow, the people cannot improve.

...

I want the women to follow all the time, especially when the man is confused and does not know what to do.

For me, if people want to be in our rotation, they need to be willing to play by the rules of our rotation. That means (1) the woman
follows, (2) no force and (3) a willingness to learn the method of Partnership Dancing.

...

Principle of Universality: you use the same signals with every person in every dance.
http://www.partnershipdancing.com/w/w001/_web/book/p/partnership_dancing/mb/book/b00_03/03_22_universal.aspx

>> pulling her and it worked. I explained to her
>> how I could have gotten her to end up in the right place

"There is a name for what you are doing and it is not dancing. It is wrestling."
~ Billy Fajardo, World Champion Dancer and Instructor
http://www.partnershipdancing.com/w/w001/_web/book/p/partnership_dancing/mb/book/b00_03/03_11_safety.aspx

We want to do better than get to the right place around the right time. We are there to dance and we want to try to dance well and
have an opportunity to improve.

>> I think that I can dance in a rotation with anyone. In most cases, by
>> simply leading the best that I can the less-skilled women will improve
>> over time.

Absolutely

>> One is the woman who grasps my hand tightly. In that case, I would
>> disengage in a very obvious way, and if she did not get the message
>> after a while, I would just explain why it is important that each
>> partner can unilaterally disengage at any moment.

I do the same. If she grabs my hand at all, I disengage.
If she rocks back and tries to pull on me to help her come forward,
I let go. What I usually do is place my fingers on top of her wrist.
Most get the idea pretty fast.

>> The other is the woman who has no sense of frame and virtually no
>> dancing skills. That woman is going to need some kind of lessons. Of
>> course, that woman cannot dance with anyone so the issue is not really
>> switching or rotating partners.

If they are willing, it is possible to dance with a raw beginner,
by giving them a little quick instructions.

See the videos here of M.
http://www.israelipartnerdancing.com/w/w102/i/israelipartnerdancing_com/main/margaret.aspx

She is a new dancer. I taught her:
(1) She must follow at all times.
This is easy for beginners.
They are willing to trust you, because they do not know anything.
(2) No force. Everything she does, she does on her own.
This is easy for beginners. No force is natural.
(3) How to orient herself.
In open position, I tell her to keep her shoulders parallel to mine.
In closed position, she is to get into my arms.
(4) As we go along, I point out things, like maintain the connection,
do not reach, keep going.

There are eight or nine videos of her doing advanced Israeli partner dances with no instruction in the choreography, never having
seen the dance, not knowing how to dance.

She was fun to dance with, even though she had trouble taking any steps properly.

All she needed to know to be danceable with was the three items above.

Thanks for your thoughts,
Andy

-----Original Message-----
From: J

Andy,

You mention in your post that it may be difficult to rotate partners
when we have not learned how to dance together.

I think that the only thing that really needs to be learned is the light
touch. If everyone uses a light touch, and nobody dances with their
thumbs (thumb holds, that is), I think that rotation works fine.

Do you remember our recent discussion about the "pull her" step? D
told me that, even though they laughed everytime P said that, her
husband was really pulling her and it worked. I explained to her
how I could have gotten her to end up in the right place without pulling
her and she seemed to agree. If we could just get people to understand
that pushing and pulling is never the best option, then there would be
no reason to ever do it.

I think that I can dance in a rotation with anyone. In most cases, by
simply leading the best that I can the less-skilled women will improve
over time.

There are two exceptions.

One is the woman who grasps my hand tightly. In that case, I would
disengage in a very obvious way, and if she did not get the message
after a while, I would just explain why it is important that each
partner can unilaterally disengage at any moment.

The other is the woman who has no sense of frame and virtually no
dancing skills. That woman is going to need some kind of lessons. Of
course, that woman cannot dance with anyone so the issue is not really
switching or rotating partners.

J

One root cause of the Israeli partner dance problems

Contributed this article today to the IFD Partners group on Yahoo.

Hello IFD Partners,

Believe one root cause of our Israeli partner dance problems is that we do not know how to dance with a partner.

Getting people to rotate partners without first teaching them how to dance with a partner may not be helpful.

One result could be making people even more frustrated.

One of the reasons people have regular partners is because it is so hard to dance with different people. With a regular partner, two
people can work out some way to dance together.

With non-regular partners, a lot of the time dancing is a wrestling match. That is not enjoyable.

Think we have solved the partner dance problem with our little group in Gainesville, at least for those that are willing to learn.
We rotate partners every dance so everyone dances the same amount. We do dances more than once so everyone gets to do them. Everyone
dances, whether they know the steps or not, regardless of their skill level.

I have been working on this problem for a decade. This is a link to an article I wrote about Choreographed Partner Dancing problems
and solutions.

http://www.partnershipdancing.com/w/w102/p/partnershipdancing_com/main_article/20090106_choreographed_partner_dances.aspx

The article is from the Appendix in my book Partnership Dancing.

Shalom,
Andrew

Method for Teaching or Learning Choreography

Jeff Subeck shared his method for teaching choreography.

I added the acronym, follow your NOSE:

N - Notate the dance
O - Observe people doing the dance
S - Style
E - Educate someone

From Jeff:

You can prepare to teach [a dance] as a learning tool, even though you have no intent of actually teaching it. I do that all the
time. Then, when I am doing the dance, I remember the words that I would use to teach it, and that helps me remember the dance
better.

1. I write out the steps in my notation. If I think that I probably know all the steps, then I do this without consulting any video
or outside sources. If I am pretty sure that I do not know a sequence, then I use the video to do the notation. I play small parts
over and over until I can record all the steps in my notation.

2. I watch the video and compare it to my notes, looking for any discrepencies. If I find discrepencies, I make a judgement call as
to whether the video is right or if I am right. If I am not sure, I look for another video and/or ask someone like Jim.

3. Once I am confident that my notes are correct, I look at the video to see if there are any stylistic things that I should add to
my notes. Again, there is judgement here as to whether a particular stylistic thing is the choreography or just how the particular
dancers are doing it. Keep in mind that people sometimes do things incorrectly on the video. Also, sometimes a stylistic thing is
specific to the dance and sometimes it is just the way the choreographer dances in general.

4. I teach an imaginary person the dance. You may want to try a real person like Brian if this is your first teach, but I generally
find that it works fine with an imaginary partner. At this stage I decide details
such as how I want to call out the steps and whether I want to do anything untraditional such as teaching the hardest part first.

Hundreds of new Israeli Partner and Circle dances in 2008

Rokdim is conducting a survey of the best dances of 2008.

Here is the link
http://www.rokdim.co.il/surveys/survey_songs.asp?survey_id=19

There are hundreds of dances.

Seems like a lot, 200 dances a year, on average 4 new dances each week.

How many can you possibly do in your group?

If the average dance is 3 minutes and if you dance for two hours straight, that is about 40 dances a night.

Your repetoire might be something like this:

- 10 dances you are learning and reviewing that you do each week

- 10 out of 20 favorites that you do every other week

- 20 out of 220 that are part of your rotation and do about once every three months

That gives you about 250 dances in your group's repetoire.

Lets say 20% of your dances are older than ten years, which would be 50 dances. That leaves 200 dances from the most recent ten
years or 20 dances per year.

Therefore you can learn about two new dances a month.

May 15-17 Vancouver Israeli Dance Workshop with Yaron Carmel

Vancouver Israeli Dance
Victoria Day Weekend Workshop with Yaron Carmel

The Vancouver Israeli Dance Society
May 15th - May 17th
The Vancouver Jewish Community Centre
www.vancouverisraelidance.com

We are excited and happy to have Yaron back in Vancouver, to teach us the best of the best and would love to have you join us for a
fabulous and fun weekend.

If you would like me to send you some brouchures, or if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thanks,
Nona

Chicago NU HILLEL 2/26 Monthly IFD Classics/Nostalgia Party, brought to you by the color, green

Hi Everyone,

 

Don't forget that this coming Thursday will be our monthly Classics/Nostalgia night party.  These parties are always especially fun and I hope everyone will join us.  Don't forget that teaching for beginners starts at 7:30.  General level teaching is at 8:15.  We play requests from 9-11:30.  The charge will be $8.  The location is, as usual, Parkes Hall: 1870 Sheridan (southeast corner of Chicago Avenue and Sheridan), Evanston IL.

 

This month's party is sponsored by the color, green.  :o)  So wear something green (in the hopes that spring will arrive soon), or bring some green refreshments, or whatever.

 

Don’t forget to remind your friends.  Hope to see you there.

 

Also, if you haven’t already done so, please join our Facebook Group.  It would be really nice to make this an interactive communication medium for all of us, and it is much easier for me to use and maintain.  Please remind your Facebook friends who have not yet joined to request membership by searching within Facebook for Chicago NU Hillel Israeli Folk Dancing. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=71027318992#/group.php?gid=71027318992&ref=ts

 

Phil

 

March 20-23 Tamaron 2009 Brochure & Application

TAMARON 2009

Israeli Dance Camp featuring Rafi Ziv, Ofer Alfasi, Eli Segal, Shmulik, Tamar and all of you.

March 20-23, 2009

This year again at the beautiful Hudson Valley, Resort, Spa & Convention Center,
Kerhonkson, New York www.hudsonvalleyresort.com

Presenting our talented, young & energetic staff.

Rafi Ziv

Fabulous teacher with amazing energy, talent & enthusiasm. Dances Al Tishkechi Otanu, Kama Sutra, Menagev Lach Et Hadmaot, Heya
Heya, Reiach Menta, Shir Mekomi, Michaela, Eich At Mesovevet Oti, Chikiti Lach, Mamriem, Ruchot Milchama, Gam Ani Rotzeh,Al Telchi
Li, Mecholot Damar, Kama Mazal, Esperanza, Halev Nitpas, and his latest hot hit Malachit.

Ofer Alfasi

Back by popular demand, his 2nd time at Tamaron. An outstanding teacher & popular markid in the Tel Aviv Area, Ofer will be
presenting the "Latest & Greatest Hits" from Israel.

Eli Segal

Well known markid with boundless energy, leader of harkadot in the Tel Aviv & Netanya area. Making his 2nd appearance at Tamaron.
Among his recent hits. Kol Hakoach, Bishvilech Notzarti, Eifo Hen Habachurot, Yasu Yafo, Halayla, Itach B'ahava, Pas Leyom Echad,
Betoch Hakesem, Ahavat Chayai, Hayeled Sheli..

We are very excited to welcome this power house team to Tamaron.

Shmulik Gov-Ari

Co-Director of Tamaron & amazing choreographer & dancer.

Kabli Oti, Milemala, Ha'ud Vehatarbuka, Agilei Damar, Lechu Neranena, Shabechi Yerushalyim, Lakum V'la-amod, Anchat Ha'adama, Eilat,
Nedunya, Kol Nedarai, Tarbuka, Eizo Shemesh Mevorechet, Lama Ma, Yateir, Sajani, Ahava Rechoka, Simcha G'dola, Choshev Alayich, K'mo
Sheat, Malachim, Mitachat La'adama ...

PS Debka Memuna, Eizo Rakdanit, Nof Baglil, Lanetzach Tzeirim, Leolam Lo Meuchar, Debka Medabeket, Na-aleh ...

Tamar

Co-Director of Tamaron & popular markida of dance sessions in NYC & New Jersey.

Always bringing you the best in Israeli Folk Dancing.

Our 2nd year at the FABULOUS Hudson Valley Resort and Spa, the premier hotel in the Catskills. All of our rooms are deluxe &
equipped with refrigerator, coffee maker TV, telephone, alarm clock, iron & ironing board, individual climate control & marble
bathrooms with hair dryer & heat lamp. Each floor has an ice maker & soda machine. All our rooms are centrally located & extremely
close to our beautiful private dining room which is right next to our elegant dance hall with its huge wooden floor. Both of these
halls are off of a gorgeous huge lobby with loads of comfortable sofas, wireless internet connection, a kiosk that serves
cappuccino, latte & other goodies, and a bar. Other hotel amenities include two state of the art fitness rooms, a full service spa
which includes jacuzzi, sauna, steam room & swimming pool. Massages are available by appointment. Game room with coin operated
games, a pool table & foosball.

There will be fabulous kosher food, including meat, vegetarian, fish & tons of salads. A wide variety of appealing snacks are
available to us all day & evening.

HUDSON VALLEY is an easy drive from Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts & beyond. 45 minutes from Stewart Airport. Very
reasonably priced taxi service available from Kerhonkson, all airports and from New York City.

For more info & pictures visit http://www.hudsonvalleyresort.com

As always we will have spirit, great workshops, parties, singing, our own Shabbat Services.

Per person for entire camp (4 days, 3 nights)

Friday afternoon- Monday brunch/review, includes all workshops, dance parties, meals & snacks.

All rooms are deluxe

3 night stay, 2 night stay
2/room $445, 2/room $375
1/room $525, 1/room $424

Service charge already included in above prices.

No Resort Fee.

10.5% tax is additional.

Call Tamar

Fabulous children's rates available upon request

A $50 deposit per person is required to hold your spot at Tamaron.

Make your plans early.

For info & to register contact Tamar.

201-836-2655 tamaron@usa.net

Israeli dancing for beginners in Washington, DC area

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE? YOU CAN!!!!!

SPRING INTO ACTION AND TAKE YOUR FIRST STEP

At a Beginners’ Israeli Dance Class with Moshe Shem-Tov & Tamar Epstein

Thursday nights at Tikvat Israel
3-month seminar starts March 5th, 2009

Learn the basic steps and styles inspired by 6 decades of Israeli history and culture and be a beginner no more!!!

Advance registration required:

$80.00 for adults, $40.00 for students

Price includes admission to intermediate/advanced session, 8:30-12:30

To register call 240-899-5777 or e-mail me at dancetov@comcast.net

Israeli Partner Dancing Group on Yahoo

The Israeli Partner Dancing group on Yahoo has been going on for a number of months. This group was founded to find partners for people going to camps.

The discussion has led to complaints about partner dance etiquette.

There is a lot of finger pointing and not much responsibility taking in terms of who is the cause of the problem.

The group is trying to make a difference, which is commendable.

I have not participated, even though I think I have the answer to many of the problems, because I am waiting until my book is available.