Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: "Rad Halaila" Hora Dance in Valladolid, Spain

You wouldn't expect Rad Halaila, a classic Israeli hora dance, to show up in a courtyard in Valladolid, a city in northwest Spain about 100 miles from Madrid. But it had so much appeal to the Valladolid World Dance Association that they adopted the name Radalaila for their dance group. 

Rad Halaila is a hora in which the dancers move individually to the right, describing a circle and entering and leaving it. It is a very energetic dance.

Enjoy!

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Hinei Ma Tov Around the World - Israeli Dance at the Las Vegas Line Dance Explosion

Every fall, 1500 line dance enthusiasts know where the action will be -- Las Vegas, of course. It's the home of the annual Line Dance Explosion, where hundreds of dancers from countries all over the world congregate for the world's greatest line dance event.

Israel and Israeli music is well represented, and Israeli dances are very popular. At the 2019 event, one of the most popular dances was to the song Hinei Ma Tov, which has found a following in many countries.

Here's a video of instructor Silvio Berlfein leading a group of line dancers in a version of Hinei Ma Tov with the recording by the Miami Boys Choir providing the musical accompaniment.

Enjoy!

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Hava Nagila Around the World - Gloria Dance School in Yerevan, Armenia

As we keep singing Hava Nagila and dancing to it around the world, we keep finding new interpretations in new countries.

In 2016 the Gloria Dance School of Yerevan, Armenia, performed a jubilant version of Hava Nagila as part of their 20th anniversary concert.

The Gloria Dance Sport School was founded in 1995, with doors of the dance center open to all
who love ballroom dancing and other forms of dance. The club provides training for children and adults, athletes and non-athletes. 

Take a look and see what they do with Hava Nagila. It's the 79th version that we've posted since starting Jewish Humor Central in 2009.

Enjoy!


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Welcoming Shabbat with a Dance Version of Eishet Chayil

Eishet Chayil (A Woman of Valor) is a hymn which is sung Friday night in many homes after singing Shalom Aleichem and before saying the Kiddush. Traditionally, a husband sings the song to his wife, extolling her virtues, and expressing thanks for all that his wife has done for him and their family.

Eishet Chayil is a twenty-two verse poem with which King Solomon concludes the book of Proverbs (Proverbs 31). The poem has an acrostic arrangement in which the verses begin with the letters of the Hebrew alphabet in regular order. The poem describes the woman of valor as one who are is energetic, righteous, and capable.

The hymn has also become popular as an Israeli dance and is part of the dance repertory of Israeli dance groups around the world. In this video Ira Weisburd, a choreographer of Israeli dance who teaches classes on Monday nights at Kings Point in Delray Beach, Florida, leads his group in a version of Eishet Chayil.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

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.

Welcoming Shabbat with Yedid Nefesh as an Israeli Folk Dance

Yedid Nefesh is a piyyut (poem) usually sung on Friday night just before the Kabbalat Shabbat (Welcoming Shabbat) service begins.
 
According to Wikipedia, this beautiful poem is commonly attributed to the sixteenth century kabbalist, Rabbi Elazar ben Moshe Azikri (1533-1600), who first published it in Sefer Charedim (published in Venice 1601), but Azikri did not claim authorship of it and there have been other suggested authors (e.g. Judah Halevi, or Israel Nagara).
  
The first letters of each of the four verses make up the four letter name of God, known in English as the tetragrammaton.

We're very familiar with Yedid Nefesh as a song for Shabbat but were surprised to find out that it is also a popular folk dance in Israel. We hope you enjoy this performance choreographed by Yonatan Gabai and sung by Gad Elbaz.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!


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Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Just Jewish Dance in New JCC in Kiev, Ukraine

In response to the onset of World War I and the devastation it wreaked on thousands of Jewish communities in war-torn regions, the newly-formed American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) initiated massive relief projects in pre-Israel Palestine to sustain fragile communities and across Eastern Europe to support communities devastated by the war.

"The Joint," as it came to be known, is still active and was instrumental in creating the Halom Jewish Community Center (JCC), a new 17,000 square foot facility located in central Kiev. The center — a project of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and Kiev’s Jewish community — serves as a multi-generational hub for Jewish cultural, educational, community, and social service programs and activities.

Among the activities is Just Jewish Dance, a creative program of dance set to Jewish and Israeli music. Here are some of the dancers in a graphical production of Shmor Na Aleinu. Enjoy! 

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