Sunday, January 13, 2013

A Unique Hava Nagila: No Music, No Words, Just Tap and Clap


We thought we'd seen every rendition of Hava Nagila -- sung in so many languages, danced in so many costumes, until we came across a new contender for the title of most unusual treatment of the universally recognized, much played and much overplayed Jewish song.

This one is a song without lyrics and without music. It's acted out in tap dance and hand clapping by the Chicago Tap Theater. It took us more than one watching to get tuned into the rhythm and follow it closely. But after a few viewings, you can get into it. It helps to sing along to the tapping of the dancers.

Chicago Tap Theatre (CTT) is a young and vibrant dance company with a unique mission to preserve the quintessentially American dance form of tap and to take tap to the next level of creativity and innovation. CTT stands apart from other dance companies by bridging the gap between tap and other forms of concert dance (such as jazz, ballet and modern) by adopting a conceptual, narrative (i.e., story-based) and more emotional approach to its work. 

Under the dynamic direction of internationally renowned dancer and choreographer Mark Yonally, CTT has gained a loyal following in its hometown of Chicago and continues to develop and enhance its reputation nationally and around the world.

Enjoy!

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.)


6 comments:

  1. Interesting, unique, and enjoyable. I didn't pick up the rhythm until nearly the end on my first watching, but on the second watching I really loved it.

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  2. Wonderfully talented dancers, and not a drop of cellulite on any of them! Thanks for including this on the site.

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  3. I took four years of tap dancing, ballet and jazz when I was a child. I was not impressed at all. Their clapping was better then their tapping!

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  4. All I saw and heard was tap dancing; I never detected Havi Nagila!

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