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Group Leader:  Ella Grey 01903 723780 – 07766 877613 -- elegy@tiscali.co.uk
Other Contacts:  Jackie 01273 688538 – jkfuller21@hotmail.com
or Nicola 01273 410682 

 

ABOUT US & YOU

Who are we?

Hove Israeli Dance Group (HIDG) is a mixed bunch of Jewish and non-Jewish people, of varying ages and both sexes, at all dancing stages from beginners to very experienced.  The group has been going for 15 years and we’re one of the regular Ralli Hall activities.  Most of us are members of the Brighton & Hove Jewish Centre, so we get a discount rate and the opportunity to take part in other Ralli Hall groups.

What do we do?

We dance!  We dance a variety of wonderful Israeli dances to a huge variety of wonderful Israeli music.  We have dances for all tastes, all moods, and all levels of ability.  You can find out more about them by reading About Israeli Dancing below.

We learn!  Every dance has its own steps so there’s quite a lot to learn, especially for beginners.  But nobody wants to be learning all evening, so sometimes we just get up and dance and those who don’t yet know these dances can just muddle along or relax for a while and watch. 

We socialise!  There’s always time for a joke between dances and a chat during the break.

Do you need experience of dancing?

No, all you need is to know your left foot from your right!  When we have absolute beginners at HIDG we do mostly ‘easies’ and we repeat them over the following weeks so that the new dancers get the chance to memorise them.  But any dance experience will be an advantage and if you’ve done folk, or circle or line dancing, even better - you’ll find some familiar steps like ‘grapevines’. 

And we don’t expect perfection -- although of course we do try to get things ‘right’!  We’re amateurs and we dance just because we love it.

Do you need to bring a partner?

No, most of the dances don’t need partners, everybody just joins in.  The few couple dances we do don’t involve intimate clutches so we just pair up as we please.

Do you have to wear anything special?

No, anything goes as long as it doesn’t restrict your movements – so no tight skirts!  The most important thing is shoes and most of us wear comfortable trainers or jazz shoes - shoes that we won’t slip over in.

Do you have to come regularly?

We know that not everyone can make it every week and payment is by the session.  But obviously, the more often you come, the quicker you’ll learn.  And the quicker you learn, the sooner you’ll be able to move on to more dances, and more, and more.  There are thousands of Israeli dances -  we’re really pushed on Tuesday evenings deciding which ones not to do!

What now?

Come along to HIDG and try some dancing!  If you want to find out more before deciding, there are three contact names and numbers above – we’ll all be happy to help.  It’s best to check with one of us first anyway just in case we’ve had to cancel a session, though we usually dance every Tuesday except when Ralli Hall is closed for holidays. And don’t forget to read more about Israeli Dancing below.

ABOUT ISRAELI DANCING

What exactly is Israeli Dancing?

Once called Israeli Folk Dancing, it’s quite different from the old, traditional folk dancing of other countries. It began only during the last century and although it then had strong foreign influences, brought to Israel by waves of immigrants, over the years it has developed its own distinctive styles.

The earliest dances, from the pre-1914 kibbutz culture, were mostly adaptations of Central and Eastern European folk dances, and influences from places like Greece and the Arabic countries of North Africa were also introduced. 

Then it became the custom for Israeli choreographers to create new dances to Israeli music - to celebrate particular events or people or places, or just for the fun of it - and by the 1950s Israeli dancing had a large repertoire and an enthusiastic following.  And as new dances are still being choreographed, there are always more to look forward to.

This continuous and imaginative creation of new folk dances is unique to Israel.  While other folk dancing is struggling to stay alive, the Israeli dance scene is progressing and attracting new generations of dancers. What ‘Strictly’ has done for ballroom and Latin, ‘Israeli’ has done for folk dancing!

What are the dances like?

Most of the original Israeli folk dances were ‘horas’, lively dances to simple rhythms where everyone joins hands in a circle and dances the same steps.  The hora is still going strong but a long phase of creating romantic dances added lots of beautiful, gentle dances to the repertoire, which was enriched again by the more recent beaty, rock additions, where we don’t usually join hands.  Some dances are done in lines or rows or just in loose groups.

Israeli dances come in all sorts – romantic, exciting, dramatic, clownish, frenetic, jazzy, and everything else you could think of.  Simple steps, complicated steps.  Basic rhythms, syncopated rhythms.   Pure Israeli, foreign influences overlaid by Israeli.   You name it!
 
What about the music?

Most of the tunes are Israeli, old or new, plus a few Greek or Arabic and even one from Azerbaijan.  There’s everything from beautiful haunting melodies through to modern upbeat rock.  There’s happy music and sad, peaceful and exciting music, music to get you going and music to calm you down. 

Some of the tunes have songs – they may have words from the Old Testament or Psalms, or they may be songs about Israel, its people or its culture. There are songs about everything from love to mothers-in-law!

Who does Israeli dancing and where?

Israeli Dancing is popular not only in Israel but all over the world, and not just among the Jewish communities.  It has huge followings in North America and Australia, for instance, and there are lots of groups in England – a monthly session for experienced dancers in Lewes regularly brings people from as far away as Kent and Surrey, and groups in London have a lot of young enthusiasts. In the resorts of Israel crowds of people dance in the open air!

HAPPY DANCING!