Israeli Folk Dancing Austin

Austin Israeli Folk Dancing

2012-01-23T12:57:00.001-08:00

our class is growing! Slowly but surely we are adding beginners who evolve into intermediate dancers. You are welcome!!!!! We have been contacted by two professors at UT to ask if we would offer a first visit to come for free. We currently have this program for UT students only.

So- we just got back from Tirkedu 2012 in Houston. It was fabulous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Elad Shtamer is a wonderful markid- funny, energetic, and I still swear his feet don't really hit the ground when he is dancing. The organization of Tirkedu as usual was great- and this year there was the added bonus of a shmooze at Dee's house. We learned 7 new dances and reviewed two we learned in Dallas at RikuDallas.
We came back last week and taught Inbalim and Vishvilha. Very nice.
We will be teaching at the Jewish Tapestry of Learning this coming weekend- I encourage you to partipate in this program if at all possible- it is so fun.
Talk to you soon!

Austin Israeli Folkdancing- Tues Mar 29, 2011

2011-03-30T18:36:00.000-07:00

We are gearing up for Kochavim!!!!!!!!! We leave tomorrow. If you are on the fence about attending a dance camp- come for one day- Saturday. It is the main day of teaching and a bargain price of $90. Go to www.kochavim.net for directions.
What has been happening in class? Wow, where to start? We have quite the beginners group going- they come every week. It isn't too late to join though- we teach and review every week! Last week we Ashrei Haish, and then we reviewed it again yesterday. Super fun.
I will have a full report after Kochavim! See you next Tuesday!

Dancing at the J, Tues 1/18/2011

2011-01-19T18:45:00.000-08:00

OOOOH! We had an awesome time Tuesday! But let me catch you up. We have many beginners coming now- 6 every single week and then a few pop up now and again. We just got back from Tirkedu! Super fun. Can't wait to review Bakapayim (Shmulik Gov Ari's new circle dance) I am experimenting with AMPS4, just having a problem with it not recognizing MP4s.
Okay, So Tuesday (yesterday) was awesome. Mickey Huber from New York came here on business- looks like it is becoming a habit! He taught us Lev Patuach- Edo's new dance. It is much simpler than it looks. I will attempt to review it next week - super dance! Melinda, Judy, and Gayle danced Bakapayim that I haven't learned yet- I'm waiting.......
Our beginners are awesome too. And welcome to Melba who just began coming. Your doing well!

Israeli Folk Dancing, Austin Tuesday, November 30

2010-12-01T18:22:00.000-08:00

Last night was incredible!!!!! 6 beginners and an advanced dancer visiting from New York! Thanks Mickey for coming to dance- it was super fun dancing the older dances, some of which we haven't done in a while.
To the beginners- Cheney, Allison, Amanda, Bertha, David, and Beatriz- you guys are doing great... you picked it up super fast- and don't forget, with enough repetition your body will remember for you- so don't over think it, k?
Yes, we all had a great time dancing , and then an enjoyable sit down at El Arroyo was good times also.
What is coming up this month? Well- just want to remind you that probably the last two weeks of December- the 21st and 28th will probably be cancelled as I will be in Israel and Melinda might want the break too.
Coming up in January is Tirkedu 2011 in Houston. An great dance camp- can't wait to see all our dancing friends and to meet Schmulik GovAri- our teacher this year. You do not want to miss this- I will get the link to registration up soon.
Keep dancing- see you next week.

Dancing at the J, Tues 11/2/2010

2010-11-02T19:51:00.000-07:00

What a great night! We just got back from RikuDallas 2010 pumped and ready to dance some more (even if our bodies were a bit sore- whiners!) Anyway- we had 3 beginners tonight- a warm welcome to Beatriz and David. We missed Darlene and Gayle- oh and Gloria and Elizabeth.
In beginners we taught and reviewed Tzadik Katamar, Nigun Atik, and the beginning of At vAni. For Intermediate I taught Ze HaRega- This is the Moment. It was such a good dance- if I would just remember to turn over my left shoulder, lol. It was just Melinda, Judy, and I- we will probably need a reteach next week for our missing dancers. So it isn't too late to learn it- come next Tuesday!
I am still on a high from the RikuDallas! A big thank you to the Dallas group for a great weekend.
See ya'll next week
Teresa

RikuDallas 2010 Review!

2010-11-01T05:07:00.000-07:00

Well, another RikuDallas has come and gone. Road trip with the girls!!!!!!!!!!!!! We drove up friday and stayed at Dee Dee's house. She has a lovely townhome.
Shabbat dinner was held at Ravit's home. The entire Dallas group was welcoming and dinner, company, and kiddush was lovely. I really enjoyed meeting the new people that were not there last year.
If I am a bit disjointed, it is because I am so tired. While there were several breaks- instruction didn't start until noon thirty. (well 1 if you count IST (israeli standard time))- we danced until 4:30 pm then went to Caren and Bennets home (love Caren muchly!) for a schmooze, then back to Dee Dee's to freshen up, then back to the J for the dance party. Of course we came a little late thinking they wouldn't start at 7 because of IST but we were wrong, lol.
Okay- instruction part- Roberto is an awesome Markid- he is very aware of all the dancers, watching who needs a little extra instruction and keeping the atmosphere light. He reminded us to enjoy our mistakes instead of getting mad at ourselves. We all laughed a lot, lol. I enjoyed every single dance he taught! Here are the dances taught:
Hine Ani
Le'ehov Im Efshar
Yam Harachamim
Hamal'ach Hagoel Oti
Alizut (sunday)
Ten
Ze Harega (thursday and reviewed Sat night)
Kabukim Lele (favorite!)
Couple dances: Shtaim Balaila, Corazon, Sheyavo
Line dance: Yakalelo
Some were a bit out of my comfort zone- but I loved all of them.
The dance party was totally awesome- we know so many dances now- and since we were mostly the ones that wrote requests in the board, they played lots and lots of dances we know. Dee from Houston did a great job of balancing the programming of songs. Roberto is very approachable, he doesn't hold himself aloof- and who doesn't enjoy listening to a British accent? We ended at 1am but when we got back to DeeDee's, I had to take a bath to make my legs stop aching. (the floor for instruction and the dance party was very hard- linoleum in one, laminate parkay in the other.)
Sunday morning was instruction for 2 couple dances and then a review session for all the dances we had learned. I think I did pretty well.
We went back to Dee Dees and packed the car, then off to the Galleria mall for a visit to the massage chairs in Brookestones, lol. Lunch at Corner Bakery and off to Austin. The drive was going very well and we were on our expected time schedule until we hit Temple. Apparently a gas tanker spilled gasoline across the highway and traffic was shut down both directions. We didn't know why we were creeping along the highway at 1 mile per hour. It took us 2 hrs to go 2 miles. Finally I had to go to the bathroom so bad that we took the next exit where we found out the cause and then after we all visited the facilities, we took the service road to the next on ramp which was past the shutdown party so we were able to resume normal driving speed. I did miss trick-or-treating though. I was a little sad- the kids are so cute trick-or-treating!
I am glad to be home- but I had a great time and of course hanging out with my dancing friends is a blast (even if Gayle doesn't share her ice cream (you know I had to say it, lol))

We are dancing tonight! Tues 10/18

2010-10-19T07:05:00.000-07:00

Okay, sorry to have not updated recently. Yes we are still dancing on Tuesdays 7:00-9:30 and we are now dancing in the Aerobic Room. Come on out tonight
For beginners: we will review Mayim, At VeAni, Nigun Atik, and Tzadik Katamar. Melinda will also teach Shabbat Menucha.
In Intermediate:
- I am teaching At Li Haba'it

And Melinda is teaching Enigma .
Both are super fun dances. Come join us!

Yesh Rikud? Impromptu Workshop in Austin

2010-08-12T07:08:00.000-07:00

Oh I am so excited about this! We will be hosting a workshop in Austin. Dee and Yoav from Houston will be visiting us Saturday, August 21st. Dee will be teaching us a number of dances; a couple of classics and a few new ones.
We have also invited San Antonio to join us. If you are stopping by, you are welcome to attend. The level of this workshop is mostly intermediate/advanced. Cost is free, although you are invited to give to a fund for a gift for Dee as a Thank You!
Location: Aerobic room in JCAA 7300 Hart Ln Austin
Time: 1:00pm
Teacher: Dee Jacobson

After workshop Soiree at Gayle's house
Email me for more details or with questions: teresa@pomeranch.com

Israeli Folk Dancing Austin 8/10

2010-08-12T07:01:00.001-07:00

Well, its summer- so I am home with all four of my children. That is my only excuse for not updating recently. 2 weeks til school starts!
So the news from Tuesday- it was just the four of us. Melinda, Judy, Gayle, and myself.
In recent weeks we have learned Sfiniteha, Tagidu La, Ashir Lachem, Al Salsalim, and Tuesday we learned: (well relearned) Ahavat Chayai. We also reviewed Ashir Lachem and Halev Nitpas.
I am making a separate post in a moment about exciting news!

New Dance Location finalization

2010-04-26T16:50:00.001-07:00

So despite the drama, we will be dancing at the J still, moving to the multipurpose room beginning May 18th. Tentative time will be 7:00-9:00pm which is earlier which is a very good thing. Pricing currently will remain the same- $6.00 for Non Members and $4.00 for Members and students. We can only take cash at this time.
I am hoping with advertising and organization our group will begin to grow. We have some wonderful material we will be reviewing from our weekend dancing at Kochavim- which I am still recovering- not much sleep if you stay up so you don't miss anything :)
Teaching will be assumed by Melinda Torrence and myself and will run on the following tentative schedule:
7:00-7:15, warm up and beginner dance review from prior week
7:15-7:30, new beginner teach/dancing
7:30-8:00, review of intermediate dance from last week
8:00-8:30, new intermediate teach
8:30-9:00, requests
Your requests for dances to be taught are welcome and can be sent to Teresa's email. We will have a list of dances that we will cover each session so that we are not sitting around asking " what do you want to do next?" You can email us a particular request , or write it on our large post-it paper each week. Every effort will be made to accomodate. If you know a dance really well and would like to teach it, just let us know- we are open to suggestions.
I will post more information before we meet for the first time. Look forward to seeing you there.

Kochavim 2010 was AWESOME!

2010-04-26T16:38:00.001-07:00

I have to tell you, I am exhausted! It was an incredibly happy making dance camp. This is my second visit for Kochavim- last year being my very first Israeli Folk Dancing camp ever. We had a great time last year, meeting new friends and learning dances, but this year- Oh this year I really enjoyed. I brought my SIL from California- who introduced me to IFD 7 years ago in David Dassa's group. I immediately came back to Austin and searched for IFD in Austin and found Mona Goldstein (Ohevet Ozevet :) ) teaching here. Then she graduated and moved away so we miss you Mona!
Back to Kochavim- Roberto was unable to attend due to the volcanic ash (like that is an excuse hahaha) But we had Mitch, Alana, Ken, and David Dassa to help us get over our disappointment. The teaching list was about evenly mixed between couples and circle dances-
holech uva (moshe eskayo)
sheya'ale ha'or (gadi biton)
erev kachol amok (eyel levy) cpl
pa'amone hamizrach (shlomo maman)
ra'iti bachalom (dani dassa)
shimri li al hamangina (shlomo maman) cpl
darbuka (shmulik gov-ari)
tfila laderech (nona malki)
ata af pa'am (david dassa) cpl
no'adnu (gadi biton) cpl
shimu achai (shmulik gov-ari)
me'ohav ad hashamayim (dudu barzilai)
rachamim (yankele levi) cpl
neve midbar (shlomo maman)
mehashamayim (avi levy)
zohar badeshe (avner naim) cpl
tsomet hadrachim (itzik se'ada) cpl
kama chaser (yaron ben simchon) cpl

This year, I really felt like I took more away from the camp than last year. It wasn't necessarily that I was overwhelmed but that I wasn't used to learning dances so quickly and so much at a time. My favorite of the whole camp was Me'ohav ad hashamayim but really I loved all of the circle dances. I don't dance couples as there isn't interest in them here.
Thank You Dee, Jennifer, Shira, Ron, Mitch, Ken, David, and Alana for the wonderful experience and organization! And thank you Bar for the use of Camp Young Judea which was absolutely beautiful, and I look forward to sending my children there in a couple of years.
It is barely over and I am already ready for next year. See you soon!

Announcement Announcement Announcement

2010-04-08T10:57:00.000-07:00

There will be a change in Venue- tentatively we are moving to the Texas Hillel, located at 2105 San Antonio Street downtown. The time will start now at 6:30 and go until 9:00, still on Tuesdays.
This change is due to some drama from Tuesday. We are working with the J to possibly continue with a change in rooms but until then, the Hillel will be our venue.
Please continue to join us there until the matter can be resolved.

Im Tirtzi Ladaat

2010-03-22T14:03:00.001-07:00

This is what I am preparing to teach next week.

Anachnu Ma'aminim

2010-02-18T19:54:00.001-08:00

Look what is coming up. Melinda- Teach Us!!!!!

Dancing at the J, Tuesday 2/16/10- Israeli Folk Dancing Austin

2010-02-17T15:08:00.000-08:00

Last night was awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We had 9 people- a large group for us, I wish we had that large a group every week. We saw Sandra who we haven't seen in ages- welcome back Sandra!
We spent the night reviewing and dancing all the dances we learned at Tirkedu as well as some of the simpler ones such as Al Sadenu, El HaMayim, and Lechu Neranana.
We also danced Hayde, Ahavat Tenatseach, Liya, Rokdim Yechefim, oh so many fun ones! Really glad we had a large group.
We are all gearing up for Kochavim, coming up April 22-25! I am so looking forward to it. So Melinda is going to teach us Suddenly and Anachnu sometime soon. Both are line dances by Orly Saterah.

Dancing at the J, Tuesday 2/9/10

2010-02-10T17:21:00.000-08:00

Another fun night- although for the life of me I could not dance Ahavat Tenatseach, which -considering I taught it- was sad. My only excuse is we ending up teaching/reviewing 5 dances. We had Dawn join us, who we haven't seen in ages! Judy was out due to an issue at home.
In other news- I am so excited. This blog is finally showing up on the google search engine, so now if you are looking for Israeli Folk Dancing in Austin, you can email me for more details. I hope Stephanie- the first person to google us- will join us next week. She is in the same situation as me, in that she can only really take 1 night a week to do her own thing. We happen to have a few other things in common including photography, boys who are 7 and 4, and a love of border collies!
Sandra should also be coming next week too.
Next week we will review, but not teach any new dances.
See you then! Oh and a friend suggested I take some videos and post them so if I can get permission from the group, I will do so.

Oops! Just realized I haven't updated.

2010-02-05T07:05:00.000-08:00

Hi, its been a busy couple of weeks since I posted. Promise I will do better. We have been reviewing the dances we learned at Tirkedu- we remember 5 of them now pretty well. Gayle retaught Halaila Yesh Chagiga so it was really fun to do that one. Next week I am hoping for Me'ever Lamasach.
My sis surprised me with another shirt- this time with the lettering in a pretty salmon pink. She really knows how to make me happy. Must be because she is my twin, that she knows me so well. :)
Okay- so we have a couple of new beginners- I hope we didn't scare Verla off last week. She came right before we ended beginners so she really only got to learn one dance. But Tammy has come back twice now and is loving it so go Tammy! I remember when I was first learning... I would dance the beginner dances and then watch with interest all the intermediate and advanced dances that were danced. I learned originally from Mona Goldstein- she then graduated and moved to DC where she leads two weekly sessions. I miss her- she was so organized, always on time, and I don't think there was a dance she didn't know. She wouldn't recognize me now. I can dance intermediate dances now- and some advanced ones if we do them over and over. Even to the point that I can teach dances now (like Liya).
Talk to you next week- oh and registration for Kochavim is open now- you can link from the button on the right hand side.

Tirkedu Houston 2010- Review and Pics

2010-01-18T16:45:00.000-08:00

What an incredible weekend. Loved every minute, from the Thursday night regular class to the Friday night party at Shira and Ron's house. Dancing was so much fun in their living room, it was close quarters for as many of us as there was but it was incredible. Then Saturday sessions were good. We got to see many friends that we only see at camps.
From picture left- Haskell, Gayle, Judy, Me, and Melinda. Like the shirts? My sister made those based on my design. We got lots of compliments on them. The front says Yesh Rikud? in Hebrew and the back says Dancing at the J and the blog address.
I just have to say, Ofer is an incredible dancer and teacher. I never felt overwhelmed and if I didn't get it the first time, that was okay because we reviewed each dance he taught 4 or 5 times. I was so glad he did, because I think this camp I remember more than the other camps I have been to- although if I could only choose one camp I would probably choose Kochavim in April (details and registration link coming soon).
Want to know what we learned?
Here is the list of dances we learned. I was both happy and distressed to find the majority of dances are brand new- only distressed because I can't get the videos to review with. I loved them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ya'akov
HaLaila Yesh Chagiga (love love love)
Shamat Shimacha (like this one too)
Shomreni El (Partner)
Tiftechi li et HaLev (Partner)
Tnili Siman (incredible dance)
Nagni Gitara (Partner)
LaChazor Habaita (waltzing one)
Tzlil Roim
Me'ever Lamasach

My top three- in no paticular order were Ya'akov, HaLaila Yesh Chagiga, and Tnili Siman.
Sunday was the Partner Session- we watched the last half of it- our group isn't currently big enough for partners and that was followed by the last review- what he did was a walkthru review and then we would dance them to music.
Everything was well organized, the food was great, things mostly started on time (well, we are talking Israeli time here). The hotel they recommended was very comfortable - and the breakfast, although it wasn't included, was reasonable with the discount coupon they gave us. So just for fun here is a video of Me'ever Lamasach- it is the only one I could find a video to embed:

Dancing at the J, Tuesday, 1/12/10- Austin Israeli Folk Dancing

2010-01-13T18:07:00.000-08:00

Oops- just realized I didn't post. We took a consensus- and since the majority of us were leaving tomorrow for Tirkedu in Houston- we decided that we wouldn't learn any new dances this week. So we reviewed all the dances we have learned in the past few weeks. Hayde, Liya, Hazmana Lemachol, Amarine, Ahavat Tenatseach, Sapri Li Ahuva, Kama Ahava Yesh Be'einiech, Eretz Esh v Eretz Yam, Debka Allon, Rokdim Yechefim, and then we danced a few favorites- Behar HaGilboa, Beilelot Hakayitz, Kismei Shaul, Mizmor Shir, Adama VeShamayim, and a bunch of others I can't think of. I am glad we just reviewed because I suspect we are going to be on brain overload by the end of the weekend.
We leave tomorrow at 3 to drive to Houston. We will attend the regular Thursday session and then Melinda and I will stay at a hotel and Judy will spend the night with a friend. In the morning- Melinda goes to hang out with a friend and I will meet up with my little sis who lives in Sugar Land. I am thinking a museum is the best bet since it is supposed to rain all weekend. Friday evening is Shabbat services with a get together at the Moses' for fun and dance. Saturday is dance sessions and Sunday is partner dancing and a review session before we leave for home. I can't wait!!!!!!!!! Talk to you soon :)

Im Ha'Olam Yithapech

2010-01-10T07:16:00.000-08:00

A shout out to my new friend Victor who choreographed Im Ha'Olam Yithapech. Very cute dance! Sorry I can't find a way to embed his video but you can link below:
http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=ydance&init=quick#/video/video.php?v=1349321812258&ref=mf

Dancing at the J, Tuesday, 1/6/10- Austin Israeli Folk Dancing

2010-01-06T06:33:00.000-08:00

First Post of the New Year! It was a chilly evening but lots of fun! I did teach Liya- it was lots of fun. Although I do have to apologize- when I get nervous I chatter so it probably took longer to teach than strictly necessary- oops.
Then Melinda did a fabulous job of teaching Amarine. Then it was 9:00 so time for reviewing so we danced El Ha Mayim and Rokdim Yechefim, Ahavat Tenatseach and Hayde. We had just enough time to redance Liya and Amarine and squeeze in Baleilot HaKayitz before we had to scoot out the door.
Plans are in motion for our trip to Houston. I am driving since Carzilla (as Ori calls my minivan) can fit all of us and our luggage. We are headed over to Houston on Thursday the 14th around 3ish to catch their regular dance session and we will just hang on Friday with friends and family until Shabbat dinner. Saturday will be dancing dancing dancing Hooray!
We have one more blog post before Tirkedu. After Tirkedu I will post a review and some pics. Always after a dance weekend I am sore- but so ready for the next one- so watch here for information about Kochavim 2010- one of the best dance camps. We have people who come from California, Pennsylvania, and even London. I highly recommend it!
Forgot to say: next up: Melinda is going to teach Elohim Taase She'Nigdal and Malachim (Mona's version!) (can you spot Judy and Gayle in this video?) I am there too- but not in the video. I was truly a beginner at that point and did not want to be responsible for single-handedly ruining the video :)

Dancing at the J, Tuesday, 12/29- Austin Israeli Folk Dancing

2009-12-30T13:39:00.000-08:00

Despite terribly cold wet weather, we had a great time last night. We danced all the way up to 10:00- plus managed to squeeze in Adama VeShamayim before they got cranky at us. If we could just get them to dance with us- maybe they wouldn't be in such a hurry to kick us out, lol.
We started off the evening with El Elohei Shamayim and reviewed El Hamaim. We reviewed again Ahavat Tenatseach.
Next week I think Melinda is going to teach/review Amarine for us and I am going to attempt Liya- what a fun dance- here is a video of Dudu Barzilay dancing it in Berlin 2007.

Dancing at the J, Tuesday, 12/22- Austin Israeli Folk Dancing

2009-12-23T13:33:00.001-08:00

What a "crowd" we had last night! Thank you for visiting Carla! Have a safe trip home to California. We got to see Rachel last night as well. We taught El Ha Maim again (thank you again to Melinda and Gayle) and then we taught Ahava Tentatseach again- but I hadn't reviewed so I am afraid my teaching was rather choppy and fast- but we got it and danced it through twice. I am sure we will review it several times before Kochavim again. Speaking of which- that is coming up in April- mark your calendars. You can find more information at Kochavim.net.
Other things of interest- we danced Lechu Neranana, Mizmor Shir, Rokdim Yachafim, Adama VeShamayim, Hayde, Hazmana Lemechol, and Dror Yikra (classic version). We got quite the work out.
I lent my dance shoes to Carla because she left hers at home and let me tell you, I can tell the difference in my knees today. But I was glad to be a good hostess :)
Everybody stay safe and see you next week! I was debating about teaching dam dam but I am not sure if I can learn it well enough by then. Meanwhile- here is a link to it:

Dancing at the J, Tuesday, 12/15- Austin Israeli Folk Dancing

2009-12-17T06:32:00.000-08:00

Well, it was a very small group tonight- we started out with just 3 of us and Gayle came later. The weather outside was very cold- ok, that really means that the wind was cutting and it was chilly- but really this is Texas people. At least we didn't have 4 feet of snow like up north. We missed Judy, Karen, and Gloria.
We started out with El Hamaim (thank you Melinda) and then I taught Ahava Tenatseach. It was my first time teaching, but we muddled through it somehow :). Then we reviewed Hayde, Tzel Etz Tamar, and Debka Alon. I adore Hayde and Ahava Tenatseach. Like big puffy heart them.
As far as I know we will still be dancing next week- I will teach Ahava Tenatseach to the ones who were unable to come this week. And we will review El Hamaim. Anybody have a dance they would like to learn?

Dancing at the J- Tuesday 12/8- Austin Israeli Folk Dancing

2009-12-09T05:57:00.000-08:00

Last night was a blast! We had two friends join us that we hadn't seen in a few months. We reviewed Heide- and since I wasn't as sick this week, I actually managed to do an okay job of remembering it. We also reviewed Tzel Etz Tamar and Debka Alon.
Coming up next week (hopefully): I will be learning and teaching Ahavat Tenatseach- a dance taught by David Dassa at Kochavim 2009.
I really wanted to post a video of it for you, but I can't find one online- the only one I have is the one from Kochavim.

Tirkedu 2010- Houston Dance Workshop- Austin Israeli Folk Dancing

2009-12-02T16:34:00.001-08:00

How excited am I? Tirkedu 2010 is scheduled for January 15-17th, 2010. This years instructor is Ofer Alfasi- yes, the same Ofer Alfasi demonstrating Heide in the video in the post before this one!
You can find more information on Tirkedu at the JCCHouston Website

Full Weekend Package (Sessions 1, 2, Party, & Review)
$70 JCC Member :

$100 Public :

$50 Student (with valid I.D.) :

Session 1 (Sat., 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. & Review)
$30 JCC Member :

$42 Public :

$20 Student (with valid I.D.) :

Session 2 (Sat., 2:00 - 5:00 p.m. & Review)
$25 JCC Member :

$35 Public :

$15 Student (with valid I.D.) :

Party (Sat., 8:30 p.m. - 1:00 a.m. & Review)
$25 JCC Member :

$35 Public :

$15 Student (with valid I.D.) :

Partner Session (optional) (Sun., 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.)
$9 JCC Member :

$13 Public :

$7 Student (with valid I.D.) :

Review (Sun. 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.) No charge if you attended any other part of the weekend

You can register by clicking here
What fun!!!!!

Dancing at the J- Tuesday 12/1- Austin Israeli Folk Dancing

2009-12-02T12:01:00.000-08:00

What fun last night- despite me having a cold, I braved my way out in the drizzle and cold to go to dancing. I am glad I did! We had a guest teacher, Joan, from California. She recently moved there from Boston, and came to visit Austin. She taught us a new dance by Gadi Bitton- Heide is the transliteration although not sure what it means. It has lots of Gadi arms and claps. Here is a video of it being performed in France by Ofer Alfasi:

You can also view Gadi and friends dancing in Toronto at this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1hbEKfXjTs
Had a good time even if I had to leave early.

Sapri Li Ahuva- Austin Israeli Folk Dancing

2009-11-19T18:10:00.001-08:00

As a teaser for next week, here is a link to a video of Sapri Li Ahuva. Those who dance with us should recognize, Orli, Edo, and Dee Jacobson.

Dancing at the J- Tuesday 11/17- Austin Israeli Folk Dancing

2009-11-18T06:34:00.000-08:00

Class was great last night- we reviewed Al Sadenu and Hora Zion and learned Debka Alon. Thanks Gayle for helping us out! At the end of class we danced Sapri Li Ahuva. Haskell (or Melinda) will be teaching it next week so if you don't know it- you won't want to miss out! This is a very pretty, slower song.
See you next week!

Welcome to the new Austin Israeli Folk Dancing Blog

2009-11-18T06:21:00.001-08:00

We dance every Tuesday, 7:45pm-10:00pm at the JCAA.

Time Table: 7:45-8:30 Warm Up/Beginners
8:30-9:15 Intermediate-advanced teaching.
9:15-10:00 Requests all levels.

We are led by Haskell Rosenthal but you are welcome to give suggestions and request dances.

If you have never been to an Israeli Folk Dancing class- warning! It is highly addictive! Each song has a different dance. The official definition from wikipedia: Israeli folk dancing is a form of dance usually performed to music from Israel, with specific dances choreographed to specific songs.

IFD (Israeli Folk Dancing) is not just for Israeli's or for Jews. It is fun for everyone. From the slow and sedate dances- to the fast and raucous, it has something for everyone, and all fitness levels.
There are three types of dances - Lines, Circles, and Couples. The most popular type- and the main one we do- is Circles. We do a few Line dances but as of yet our class has not done couples as we are very small. Come help us grow so we can start on those too!