Animommumnplv •

WEEK OF June 10-16

SPECIAL EVENTS

Two Jewish
Center-based
troupes
continue
the Israeli
folkdance
tradition
in Detroit

NI‘

a

TROUPERS
A

JUDY MARX

Special to The Jewish News

ccording to the old "Mon-
day's Child" poem, it is
Wednesday's Child who is
full of woe, while Thurs-
day's Child has far to go.
Here in Detroit, Thursday's
"children" are dancers, and they are
continually "on the go" in rehearsal
mornings and evenings at the Jewish
Community Center in Oak Park.
Thursday mornings are practice
times for The Festival Dancers, and
every Thursday evening Hora Aviv
takes over the dance floor.
Shelly Jackier, active in Jewish
community organizations and ex-
ecutive director of the American-
Israel Chamber of Commerce of
Michigan, recalls coming back from
her first mission to Israel in 1974. "I
wanted to relive that experience in
every way possible," she remembers.
She discovered an Israeli folkdance
course was being offered by Harriet
Berg at the Jewish Center Jimmy
Prentis Morris Building. One class
led to another for Jackier.

Soon after, Bela Greenberg, whose
Russian, Polish and Israeli
background sparked her interest in
ethnic dance, found herself in a dance
class with Jackier and six others. A
request from Borman Hall for a per-
formance meant the group needed a
name — the choice Galai HaRuach
(Waves of the Wind).
In metamorphosis Galai
HaRuach has evolved into today's
Hora Aviv. "As we got older, we were
no longer "waves of the wind;' Bela
says, smiling. Hora Aviv means
"dance of spring."
At first the group did volunteer
performances at various Jewish agen-
cies. Later, it appeared at the Inter-
national Institute in Detroit, and
soon started taking part in local in-
ternational festivals. After a while, re-
quests came for the troupe to perform
at b'nai mitzvah and weddings. The
Hora Aviv dancers became a profes-
sional group and could charge for its
services. Concerts and even television
performances followed.
Rachel Jacobs was the troupe's
director at that time. "She was a very
fine dancer, and she attended a lot of

workshops thoughout the country,
where many people knew her. She
was the motivating factor for us to
branch out and deepen our awareness
of Israeli folkdance," Jackier explains.
"Workshops really turned us on,"
she says, "because we realized we
were part of a larger network and that
there was so much we could learn and
bring back for teaching and for per-
forming."
The group's first workshop, Hora
Shalom in New York, is taught in the
tradition of Fred Berk, father of
American Israeli folkdance. Fifteen
years later Jackier, Greenbaum, and
other Hora Aviv dancers still have the
annual August event circled on their
calendars.
Jacobs died five years ago at age
39, but the group kept together, and
Greenbaum has subsequently taken
over the role of director. Staging and
choreography are among her tasks,
but "we look for input from
everybody," she says.
Originally all female, the troupe
decided after learning "couple
dances" at workshops that it was time
to go out and look for potential part-

TOLEDO ZOO
2700 Broadway, Toldeo, pandas
Le Le and Nan Nan, through
August, admission. 419-.726-3272.
WEST VILLAGE ART FAIR
Agnes between Parker and Van
Dyke, West Village, Saturday,
861-5838 or 822-0057.
OAKLAND UNIVERSITY
Virgil Thomson program:
Sunday, concert at Varner
Recital Hall, admission; Tuesday,
lecture with Thomson at
Meadow Brook Hall; June 17,
film The River," followed by
discussion and concert at Varner
Recital Hall; June 18, lecture at
Sunset Terrace, concert at
Varner, admission. 370-3013.
MOTOR CITY HORSE SHOW
Bloomfield Open Hunt, 405 E.
Long Lake, 13loomfield Hills,
Wednesday through June 19,
admission. 644-9411.

COMEDY

COMEDY CASTLE

2593 Woodward, Berkley,
Mitchell Walters, today and
Saturday, Star Search, Monday,
Frankie Pace, Tuesday through
June 18, admission. 542-9900.

COMEDY CASTLE AT
PUZZLE'S
29900 Van Dyke, Warren, Greg
Travis, today and Saturday; Kip
Adotta, Tuesday through June
18, admission. 751-6010.
DOWNTOWN COMEDY
CASTLE
Westin Hotel, Detroit, Steve
Mittleman, today and Saturday;
Bill Thomas, Monday through
June 18, admission.

THEATER

FARMINGTON COMMUNITY
BAND, CHORUS AND
MUSICALE
Farmington Harrison High
School, "Oklahoma!," Thursday
through June 19, admission.
661-4604.
BIRMINGHAM THEATER
211 S Woodward, Birmingham,
"Girl Crazy:" now through June
19, admission, 644-3533.
SHAW FESTIVAL
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario,
You Never Can Th11," and
"Dangerous Corner," now
through Oct. 15, "Hit the Deck,"
now through Oct. 16, "War and
Peace;' now through July 31,
"Peter Pan," now through Oct.
16, admission, 416-468-2172.

Continued on Page 69

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

59