Sharon Residents at the Israel Folkdance Festival of Boston

SHARON RESIDENTS TO PERFORM AT THE ISRAEL FOLKDANCE FESTIVAL OF BOSTON

Sharon residents will part of the fun at the upcoming Israel Folkdance Festival of Boston.  Hannah Spellman will dance with Shalhevet, the dance group of Columbia/Barnard Hillel.  Shalhevet will present a piece that portrays the Jewish people’s promise never to forget Jerusalem.  Danielle Rubenstein will perform with Tziporei Dror in a dance suite that represents the power of dance by bringing together dancers from all walks of life.  In addition, Jane Chefitz and Bonnie Rubenstein are members of the Israel Folkdance Festival Coordinating Committee which meets throughout the year to plan the annual event. 

The history of Israeli folk dance is unique among nations.  The recorded history of dance stretches back into the Biblical book of Exodus where Miriam, sister of Moses, led the Israelites in celebratory dance.  But with just the written word and no surviving dances, the returning Israeli settlers at the beginning of the 20^th century had to recreate their own tradition.  They took what they knew from the lands of their Diaspora and combined those movements into something new.  The urge to express emotion in movement was too great not to find an outlet.  Choreographers began to create dances for special occasions and holidays.  The vocabulary of dance started with the hora brought to Israel by European Jews.  As Jews from around the world returned to Israel, the dances they brought with them were also incorporated into these new folk dances.  From this early start, Israeli folk dance has continued to evolve and new dances are added every year to the canon.  The influences of Spain, Yemen, Russia and even the United States are now seen in Israeli dance, making for a vibrant, living artistic expression.

The Israel Folkdance Festival brings together dancers from throughout the U.S. and Canada.  Since its inception in 1977, the Festival has sought to promote Israeli folk dancing in Boston and to provide dancers with the opportunity to meet and exchange ideas. 

This year’s performance of the Israel Folkdance Festival of Boston will be on March 10^th and will be held at MIT’s Kresge Auditorium in Cambridge at 3:00 p.m.  The Festival will feature a range of Israeli dance styles.  Tickets are $15 and are available on-line at www.bostonfestival.org or at the door on the day of the performance.  Student rush tickets are available for $5, one hour before the performance with college ID.  Additional information may be found at the Israel Folkdance Festival website at www.bostonfestival.org.  The Campus Activities Complex at MIT is the sponsor of the Israel Folkdance Festival.  The Israel Folkdance Festival is delighted to be a part of the Jewish Music Festival.

Other special events include a free Israeli folk dance party, which will be held on the evening of March 9th, at Congregation Kehillath Israel, 384 Harvard Street in Brookline.