STN Entertainment
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W
hen Shelly Komer Jackier, Bela Green-
baum and Fay Knoll signed up for an
Israeli folk-dance class at the Oak Park
JCC more than 20 years ago. little did
they realize they were headed for careers as part-
time dancers.
Invited to perfoim at the former Borman se-
nior residence, the three classmates began tak-
ing their footwork on the road and soon created
the Galai HaRuach troupe. The name changed
to Hora Aviv several years back after the group
added men. And from there it was a matter of
time before calls were coming in from across the
country (and world) for the dancers to perform.
For the twelfth year in a row, Hora Aviv will
present a range of Israeli folk dances as part of
the International Folk Dance Festival at the
Southfield Civic Center Pavilion. Both the city
of Southfield and the International Institute of
Metropolitan Detroit sponsor the annual event,
which brings together a flurry of dancers repre-
senting various cultures: Israeli, Ukrainian,
African, Indian, Asian, Polish and Slovakian.
And what goes better with dancing than eat-
ing? (Eating, of course, goes well with anything.)
The festival will also highlight foods of the afore-
mentioned regions along with coffees and wines,
supplied by local restaurateurs.
Here's a rundown of the dance troupes par-
ticipating and the approximate time they'll take
the stage:
Troupe Ta'amullat (3:50 p.m.): Translated into
English as "Reflections in the Pool of Time," the
company presents the music, dance and culture
of the Near East, North Africa and Central Asia.
Vidyanjali East Indian Dancers (4:15 p.m.):
G. Love and
Special Sauce
Founded by dance master Sudha Chan-
drasekhar more than 20 years ago, the
award-winning group is known for its
gold-embroidered silk costumes and
gilded gold jewelry.
dancers of Art of Motion specialize in
Central African and Congolese danc-
ing as well as presenting tradition-
al African and African-American
works, jazz and modern dance.
Sarisan Slovak (4:35 p.m.): Acrobatics color
this troupe's performances. The original Sarisan
troupe, founded in 1967 in Eastern Slovakia,
gave rise to its American counterpart, which has
drawn national attention and has performed
in Southfield previously.
Tim O'Hare's School of Irish Dance Step-
ping (6:20 p.m.): Promoting appreciation of the
Irish culture through dance, the school boasts
several national award-winning step dancers
whose signatures are control of movement and
intricate footwork.
Echoes of Ukraine (4:55 p.m.): Authentic his-
toric costumes and the accompaniment of tradi-
tional instruments are the hallmarks of this
group of Canadian and American dancers.
Echoes' repertoire includes regional folk dances
as well as ancient ritual dances, royal court
dances and modern dances.
The Tagumpay Philippine Cultural En-
semble (3:30 p.m.) and Wawel Polish Folk En-
semble (6 p.m.) will also perform. Hora Aviv's
presentation begins at 6:45 p.m.
Art of Motion African Dance Theatre (5:40
p.m.): Ranging in age from 5 to young adult, the
Remnants
G. Love crafts urban hip-hop
with a sense of humor and the
funkiest of riffs. The band per-
forms at the Blind Pig in Ann
Arbor. (313) 996-8555.
Hank Greenspan's award-win-
ring play based on memories and
reflections that Holocaust sur-
vivors shared with him in con-
versations spanning 15 years. At
Congregation B'nai Moshe in
West Bloomfield. (810) 788-0600.
Tues., 9:30 p.m.
Tues., 7:45 p.m.
-
The Hora Aviv Israeli
Folk Dance Troupe will
perform at 6:45 p.m.
Sunday.
JET 1996 Festival
of New Plays
The Jewish Ensemble Theatre
opens its annual readings of
works in progress with Pat
Lin's One of the Few, at the
JCC, Maple-Drake and JPM
branches. (810) 788-2900.
Wed.-Thurs.
7:30 p.m.
The International Folk Dance Festival runs from
3:30 to '7 p.m. Sunday, April 14, at the Southfield
Civic Center Pavilion. The buffet will be served
from 3:30-6 p.m. Tickets are $13.50 advance/$15
at the door. Call (810) 354 4854.
Jeff Altman
Funny man Altman has two sit-
corns and a myriad oflate-night
appearances under his belt, but
what he's really looking for is a
nice Jewish girl. Joey's Comedy
Club at Paisano's, Dearborn.
(810) 584-8885.
Thurs., 8:30 p.m.•
Fri.-Sat.,
8 & 10:30 p.m.
National Film
Registry Tour
The Detroit Film Theatre pre-
Bents 12 fully restored dne-
mate treasures over four days.
JaTnes Earl Jones kicks offthe
series at an opening night re-
ception. (313)833-2323.
Fri., April19-
Sun., April 21
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