Israel Folk Dance Festival Marks 50th Anniversary with Horati - Gala Four-Day Celebration

Jewish National Fund
Tuesday, 15 May 2001

Jewish National Fund and the Israeli Dance Institute Co-Sponsor Festival

May 15, 2001 – New York, NY – Jewish National Fund (JNF) and the Israeli Dance Institute are co-sponsoring HORATI, the 50th Anniversary celebration of Israeli dance. The four-day gala celebration will take place at Hofstra University, Long Island, and runs from May 31st through June 3rd. The festival will bring together enthusiasts, past participants and guest personalities who will share their vision of Israel in dance and song.

Master teachers and choreographers from both Israel and the United States will present the best of the Israeli dance repertoire of the past 50 years. The Festival 50 Gala Jubilee Performance, featuring over 250 dancers and singers, will bring communities from the United States and abroad together for a stage extravaganza that is sure to lift everyone's spirits.

Highlights of the weekend include workshops for teachers, a simcha dance, festival reunions and memorabilia, an Israeli dance symposium, community singing, afternoon and evening dance parties and Shabbat programs. The grand finale event will be the Jubilee Festival performance on Sunday, June 3rd at 2:00pm, a pageant of uncommon warmth, camaraderie and enthusiasm that will delight people of all ages and backgrounds.

"We are thrilled to be part of this celebration," says Bob Levine, JNF National Vice President for Campaign and organizer of the festival. "JNF has been a sponsor of this festival going back a half a century, and we are proud to be a partner with the Israel Dance Institute in sponsoring Horati. It's truly a unique gathering," adds Levine, "because Horati welcomes dance leaders and Israeli dance enthusiasts form all over the world." This year's festival features performers that span generations representing national youth movements, day schools, universities and community centers from across the United States and abroad.

Since its sponsorship of the very first Israeli dance festival in New York, JNF has continued to support the promotion of Jewish and Zionist cultural activities through its Education Department. Over the years, in conjunction with the Israeli Dance Institute as well as with the Israeli Scouts, JNF has sponsored summer camp caravans, bringing the story of the Jewish people through song, dance and theater to thousands of Jewish campers as well as to hundreds of day and afternoon religious schools.

Horati will feature dance workshops on all levels with master teachers and choreographers who have shaped Israeli folk dance including Moshiko and Yankele Levy, Shlomo Bachar, Moshe Eskayo, Naftaly Kadosh, Danny Uziel and Israel Yakovee and special musical guest, Ami Gilad. Presenters also include Jewish dance historian, Judith Brin; Eastern European theatrical dance master, Felix Fibich; and children's dance specialists Lorraine Arcus, Ruth Goodman and Danny Pollock.

For more information, or to contact Jewish National Fund, see their website at: www.jnf.org