"I Wonder What Middle-Eastern Topic I Should Write About" Says the Jew.

    I could go on about Israeli dance at length, but I must control the urge. For now, I will talk about one dance in particular: the Hora. Get your giggles out if you need to, but this is a well-known dance throughout Israeli culture. The term comes from the Greek word khoros, or “chorus,” and refers to performers of Greek tragedies. Eventually, many European cultures adopted the word for their own meaning. Russians, for example, define the word khorovod as a type of wedding dance. The Israelis brought khorovod into their cultural practices in 1924 when a choreographer (there’s that khoros again) named Baruch Agadati teamed up with a composer to create “Hora Agadati.” Performed by halutzim, the Hebrew word for “pioneer,” it was a vigorous, intense dance where dancers held hands and spun in a circle.

 

       Nowadays, however, the dance has been simplified to accommodate those who have two left feet (me). Another tradition is to lift the honorees on a chair in the middle of the circle. I would never forgive myself if I didn't share this magical custom with you all, so here it is. You don't need to watch past 2:45, but I hope you enjoy whatever you choose to observe.

    On a more musical note, another (specifically Jewish) practice is known as a nigun or “melody” (plural: nigunim). In an article from My Jewish Learning, Dr. Loeffler introduces nigunim with a quote: “there are gates in heaven that cannot be opened except by melody and song.” I thought this was a lovely interpretation of the purpose of music. Nigunim are characterized by songs with melodic phrases that do not involve words or instruments. Instead of words, singers would use “nonsense” syllables such as lai-lai or bim-bam. Something I learned is the three earliest types of nigunim: deveykut, dance tunes, and tisch. Deveykut are typically slow-tempo, ametric melodies sung in unison, and tisch nigunim are more complex, only sung at Shabbat, holiday meals, or with a rabbi. Dance tunes, however, are simple, up-tempo, and more rhythmic songs that go along with dances made for a group of people. These original nigunim grew from the roots of Jewish prayer as well as Polish military dances, Eastern European folk songs, and even Central European waltez. Although they started with a religious context, many musicians have incorporated nigunim as a secular form of expression. 

    

     As I said before, I love Israeli dance, and I just couldn’t help myself. Growing up, I remember learning so many dances in Hebrew School and at youth group events. I went down a Youtube rabbit hole of Israeli dances, and I found two songs that brought me joy. One was “Mayim,” a dance I learned as a child. The words of this song are actually a prayer to thank G-d for the blessing of water. If you watch the video linked below, imagine Little Maddi attempting to dance with those two left feet I mentioned earlier. The other video is an exciting dance to “Toy” by Netta, a song my Israeli friend showed me a few years ago when I worked at a summer camp. These dances have a place in my heart and I cherish the memories I made through dancing, or trying to.

The other video is an exciting dance to “Toy” by Netta, a song my Israeli friend showed me a few years ago when I worked at a summer camp. These dances have a place in my heart and I cherish the memories I made through dancing, or trying to.

Philologos. “Hora - A History of the Most Famous Jewish Dance.” The Forward, The Forward Association, Inc., 11 Dec. 2007, https://forward.com/culture/12226/hora-jewish-dance/

Loeffler, Dr. James. “The Nigun.” My Jewish Learning, My Jewish Learning, 20 Aug. 2021, https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-nigun/.