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May 03, 1996 - Image 87

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Detroit Jewish News, 1996-05-03

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.

STN Entertainment

"I've always danced barefoot, because
I like to feel the floor below me. It's nat-
ural. It's the way Israeli folk dance be-
gan. I picture the pioneers going out
shoeless into the fields and dancing,"
she explains.
Later, a friend recommended a work-
shop where Ruth met Alex, who shared
a zest for'folk dance, and a devotion
to Israel. The two young people began
dating, but then Alex moved to Flint,
Mich.,
for school.
Th
Ruth decided to spend time in Israel.
She found herself on a kibbutz one Yom
Ha'atzma'ut. Late that Independence
Day when the sun set and sky dark-
ened, someone began piping music into
a commons area. Kibbutzniks began to

dance and Ruth, though a long way
from home, joined an activity that was
hardly foreign to her.
She remembers the song: "Lo
Na'Atzur" or "We Will Not Stop." A fa-
vorite in Seattle, the melody goes back
and forth from melancholy to energetic.
Ms. Voss felt, suddenly, as if she were
at once in Israel and back at home in
Seattle.
"It brought my two worlds together,"
she says.
Upon her return to the United
States, Ms. Voss moved to Michigan
where she and Alex resumed dating
and married in 1988. They continue
dancing together, time permitting.
"It's time we know we'll have to-

gether," she says. "And, it's also a little
romantic."
Israeli folk dance takes many forms
and has been influenced by many cul-
tures. There are circle dances and cou-
ple dances. The steps might be
Chasidic, or Yemenite, or Greek. And,
the dances range from the familiar Nora
to the exotic debka, with an Arabic fla-
vor.
Shelly Komer Jackier and Avi Ze-
chory teach a variety of steps each
Wednesday evening at the West Bloom-
field Jewish Community Center. They,
themselves, met through Israeli dance,
and they've witnessed other love con-
nections take place on the dance floor.
It was 1992. Mr. Zechory was re-
cently single. To cheer him up, friends
recommended an evening of dance —
Israeli dance. Not ex-
pecting much,
Mr.
Zechory
went along.
The scene re-
minded him of
his childhood in
Israel, where he
and classmates
started learning
folk dance at age
8 or 9. In those
days, tape re-
corders weren't
readily available
in Israel. An ac-
cordionist provid-
ed all of the music.

Places To Dance:
Hora Hora Hora

,

/-

"The boy would ask the girl a week
ahead of time if she'd dance with him,"
said Mr. Zechory. "It was a cool thing.
We liked to dance with the girls."
As with most things, Israeli folk
dance became exceedingly uncool dur-
ing his teen-age years, and Mr. Zechory
gave it up for more than two decades.
But now, as an adult, the initial al-
lure is obvious.
"It's ethnic aerobics, essentially," says
Mr. Zechory, attributing the witticism
to Ms. Jackier, whom he refers to as
"more Israeli than most Israelis I
know."
Indeed, a shared love of culture fig-
ures prominently into Shelly and Avi's
relationship. Dancing together repre-
sents a mutual passion. It points to a
common experience and parallel vi-
sions, they say.
"The dancing is energetic, so you de-
velop that high together. It's not just
learning the steps together. It's learn-
ing about your heritage together. It's a
bonding," Ms. Jackier says.
The couple's dance troupe, Hora
Aviv, practices diligently and has per-
formed at increasingly popular Israeli
festivals throughout the United States.
More and more, Hora Aviv is fea-
tured at weddings, bar mitzvah parties
and other simchas held locally. Ms.
Jackier believes reasons for the inter-
est are clear — and to be expected.
"Israeli folk dance is ours. It's part of
our culture," she says. "We should par-
ticipate and help to develop it." ❑

,

The following venues are places to dance, mingle and time
travel:

* Jewish Community Center, Oak Park. Teacher: Sunny.
Segal. Room: Gym. Instruction: Tuesdays, 7-8 p.m. Danc-
-" ing: 8-10 p.m. Cost: $1.75 at the door. For more informa-
tion, call (810) 967-4030.

/--'

/–'

/--

* Jewish Community Center, West Bloomfield. Teachers:
Shelly Komer Jackier and Avi Zechory. Room: 150 (base-
ment). Instruction: Wednesdays, 7:30-8:30 p.m. Dancing:
8:30-11 p.m. Cost: $3.50/person; $3 high-school students.
For more information, call (810) 661-1000.

* University of Michigan Hillel, Ann Arbor. Teacher: Tom
Starks. Dancing: Sundays, 7:30-10 p.m. Cost: $2.50. For
more information, call (313) 769-0500.

Shelly and Avi's Workshop, featuring Israeli folk-dance
artist Nissim Ben Ami. To be held on Saturday, May 18,
8:30-11:30 p.m. at the Oak Park Jewish Community Cen-
ter, and on Sunday, May 19, 1-3 p.m. and 3:30-5:30 p.m. at
the West Bloomfield Jewish Community Center. The gen-
eral public is welcome. For cost and more information, call
(810) 626-0126. El

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