BY Dance Website Is Moving!

Hello my fellow worship dancers,

ALERT: In the coming weeks or months (depending on how long the transition takes,) ONE OR ANOTHER VIDEO WILL BECOME TEMPORARILY INACCESSIBLE TO YOU!

Up until now, I have been hosting our Beth Yeshua Dance Ministry Blog at my Lessons From Heaven Google account. But both ministry wesites are growing and will need their dedicated, individual space; a place to continue growing.

Also, peeking into the future, I believe that this website (which I designed to serve our Beth Yeshua community,) is to be easily transferred, down the road, into the hands of those who will be taking on the leadership of BY's dance ministry. It is to be a model that others can build upon and change as needed, when my time as Beth Yeshua's dance leader comes to an end.

The transition from one space to another will take time because it is not enough to just move the blog and the files, but I also have to move the videos. It is these videos that will take the most time to move. Downloading and re-uploading videos is very time-consuming. To not disrupt too much your access to our video library on YouTube, I will be transferring just one video at a time. Because of this process, please note that YOU MAY NOT ALWAYS BE ABLE TO ACCESS THE DANCE VIDEO YOU WANT TO REVIEW.

My focus will be to only move the dance videos of the dances we do not need to practice for an upcoming Shabbat worship service.

Happy dancing!

Songs for Shabbat 7/1/2017

Dance practice list for upcoming Shabbat:

In the Presence of Your People (The Celebration Song)  >> Nigun/Zemer Atik ...... (Level 1)
Dance with Me ...... (Level 2)
Oh Give Thanks ...... (Level 1)
Walk in the Promise (song)  >> Boker ...... (Level 3)
God of Our Fathers (song)  >>  Sulam Ya'akov + 4 Corners...... (Level 2)

Video of Jewish Wedding Bottle Dance

This dance became famous thanks to the movie Fiddler On The Roof (one of my favorite Jewish movies.) This dance shows the Eastern European influence on Chassidic dancing tradition. The setting for the movie is Russia, 1905. Today, the Wedding Bottle Dance is still being performed but now by a new generation of Jewish men. Hope you like!

Shabbat Songlist 6/24/2017

Practice these dances:

1. Walk in the Promise (song) >> Boker ..... (Level 3)
2. Baruch Haba ..... (Level 2)
3. Oh Lord, You're Beautiful (dance: coming soon! song)  ..... (Intro Level / Level ABC)
4. Rejoice O Zion ..... (Intro / ABC)
5. Amidah (Blessed Are You) .....  (Level 1)

Maybe also:

1. Kadosh (song) .....(Level 2)
2. Hine Ma Tov .....(Level 1)

If we have a lot of dancers, please form circles around the dance guides dancing in the center.

A Quick Note About Levels:

Level Intro/ABC ..................... Very Easy
Level 1 .................................. Easy
Level 2 .................................. Challenging
Level 3 .................................. Very Challenging


Check out this video of IFD Group Shalom in the 80's

This Israeli dance group toured in the 80's and 90's. I used to have a VHS of a video collage of their dance tours and dances. I played the video so much that it eventually died! Shalom dance group was amazing! The video showed how modern day IFD (=Israeli folk dances) incorporates many of the dance styles of countries where the Jewish people had lived in exile and were returning from.This is why modern day IFD does not only reflect its Middle-Eastern roots but also reflects influences of folk dances from all around the world: Europe (including chassidic and orthodox styles), Asia, Latin America, North America (includes country line dancing), and Africa.

Folk dancing is about community, about rejoicing in unity and brotherhood, not about romance or sensuality. This is why I believe that modern day IFD also serves as a great dance-worship expression for peoples everywhere! Every culture and every church that I have had the privilege of introducing IFD to, as a means of dance worship, has received it well and enjoyed it.

The video below shows the Eastern-European influences in Israeli folk dancing. Relax and enjoy!

I want to know how you like worshiping with IFD. Share in the comments below.

Rejoice O Zion

Please excuse the video quality. I will eventually update this video because it was done using the Marco Polo app on my cellphone. For now, this is the best I've got. It was the quickest way of recording it for Ali. (The normal recordings take time.) The app records movement in the opposite; meaning, when the video shows me going left, I'm actually going right. So, keep this in mind when you practice.

Also, we also do this dance as a processional, meaning, always moving forward and never switching sides. To do this, instead of doing a closed mayim (to switch sides), we do an open mayim (to keep going in the same direction.) That's all!

This is an Intro/ABC level dance. And REMEMBER: I'm moving in the OPPOSITE direction!

Rejoice greatly, people of God!

Worship Songlist 6/17/2017

:

1. It Is Good
2. He's Put Laughter Into My Soul (song) >> Adapted Shibolet Basadeh  (dance) And faster!!
3. How I Praise You >> Ma Navu
4. How He Loves Us (song) >> Adapted Sing to Jesus (dance video)
5. No Longer Slaves

"Adapted" means the original dance has been adapted a little to match the song we are dancing to. If you practice the dance you will be able to follow us when we dance the adapted version. Just knowing the actual dance steps makes a big difference. The adapted movements and steps are minimal and very easy. You will be able to follow us easily.

 Dance Playlist for Practice 

If we have a lot of dancers, please form circles around the dance guides dancing in the center.

Check out these dances by two Israeli folk dance groups from the 60s!

At the end of the first video, the Shibolet Basadeh dance is the couples dance version.

The second video presents typical Yemenite dances--one female and one male dance.

Enjoy! Let me know what you think in the comments below. Would you like me to add more of these Israeli folk dance group videos (as I find them)?

Worship Songlist 6/3/2017

It's a short one this Shabbat:

1. Create in me a clean heart >> Nigun Atik / Zemer Atik--but WITHOUT the clapping, adapted hand movements.
2. Psalm 150
3. Mayim, mayim
4. Holy >> Sovevuni (Hora Tov)--but much slower and a little adapted
5. An intrumental for Torah processional.

Just learn the steps and you will be able to follow us when we do these steps to different songs. Just knowing the actual dance steps makes a big difference. The adapted movements and steps are minimal and very easy. You will be able to follow us easily.

Dance Playlist for Practice 

Songlist 5/27/17

These are the dances we will be doing upcoming Shabbat: It Is Good  How I Praise You >> Ma Navu Oh Give Thanks Holy Spirit You Are Welcome >> Od Yishama Let Your Anointing Fall Shabbat Shalom (Torah processional) Dance Playlist  Practice one and come dance it with us!