Jewish dance

Jewish dance refers to dance associated with Jews and Judaism. Dance has long been used by Jews as a medium for the expression of joy and other communal emotions. Dancing was a favorite pastime and played a role in religious observance.

Dances associated with Ashkenazi and Sephardi traditions, especially Jewish wedding dances, are an integral part of Jewish life in America and around the world. Folk dances associated with Zionism and the formation of the State of Israel became popular in the 1950s.

Among Ashkenazi Jews dancing to klezmer music was an integral part of weddings in the shtetl. Jewish dance was influenced by local non-Jewish dance traditions, but there were clear differences, mainly in hand and arm motions, with more intricate legwork by the younger men. The religious community frowned on mixed dancing, dictating separate circles for men and women.

In Hasidic Judaism, dance is a tool for expressing joy and is believed to have a therapeutic effect: It purifies the soul, promotes spiritual elation and unifies the community.

Israeli folk dancing developed in early days of Zionist settlement in Land of Israel. It was an exuberant form of dance that reflected the joy of a people returning to its homeland.

The Horah is an Israeli circle dance typically danced to the music of Hava Nagila. It is traditionally danced at Jewish weddings and other joyous occasions in the Jewish community. The hora was introduced in Israel by the Romanian Jewish dancer Baruch Agadati. In 1924, he worked together with a composer and songwriter to choreograph a show performed by the Ohel Theater Company, which toured the pioneer settlements of the Jezreel Valley. "Horah Agadati," as the dance was known, became an instant success.

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