This page is dedicated to 10 groups who have done a vast amount of work for internet dance videos. The next 10 tables represent Israeli dance videos either performed or taken by these different groups. The first table features Nissim Ben Ami and various friends. The second table features Che and her group, Shemlapaca. Table three are the productions - and we really mean productions - of Unit E. The 4th table pertains to the Polish group, Snunit, both in production and at an informal Chanukah party. The 5th table is videos from Taiwan involving both a class and an individual who Israeli dances in subways and concourses. The 6th table represents a Latin American contingent, whose name we've guessed at as you will read, whose stylized dancing is very attractive and artistic. The 7th table represents some of the dances on the internet by Mirjam. The 8th table represents the Youtube channel, PDNY whose author has photographed sessions of Israel dance in Tel Aviv and throughout Israel. The 9th table is the most surprising and we'll let you discover its origin as you read down this page. The 10th channel involves the work of Ohad Atia, a choreograpgher, dance session leader and, most importantly from the point of this script, the creator of several instruction videos in Hebrew on dances featured on this web site.
Nissim Ben Ami is an instructor (and has done some choreography) who was based in Miami where he led at least one weekly dance session. Apparently, two years ago, he returned to Israel. Locally, you saw Nissim most Memorial day weekends at Hora Aviv where he was one of the dance instructors. Below is a list of the dances he has produced and the link to see the video. This list is by no means complete and you can, if you wish, link to http://rikudim.net/NissimBenAmi.htm or, even better, http://www.youtube.com/user/NissimBenAmi to see what the disk coordinator believes is a complete list.
The beautiful Che (pronounced 'shay' and with only a first name to go on, she's mysterious as well to the disk coordinator) has a series of videos of Israeli dances on YouTube. These dances videos take place in Santa Barbara, Cal apparently where there is a specific park that Che has appropriated for dancing alone to this music (but with a video photographer in tow). If you have more information about Che, please send this to the disk coordinator at thediskcoordinator@thediskcoordinator.com and we'll include it in this page although we can tell you that Che has a youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/shemlapaka. Below are the links to watch Che's interpretation of Israeli dances.
Note: The disk coordinator, being a leading advocate of skateboarding through museums and who limits his art appreciation to centerfolds, does not in any way consider himself a critic of art and/or style. But, you should look at Isha al hachof as it is done at night on the beach with Che silhouetted as she dances into the evening. very sensual!
Unit-E is a group of teenagers from Gainesville Florida who do dance routines around the United States and in Israel. While Nissim and Che are informal performances, there is nothing informal about Unit-E. Unit-E is a very planned production. You can see documentations about and by them by linking to their web site, http://www.kolsimcha.org/unit-E. On that web site are links for Quick Time videos which we have not included in this list (but feel free to watch on your own.) Below are generic Internet videos of Unit-E. Keep in mind that the production requirements mean that this group is not as prolific as the two above.
Note: Some of these videos have long intros and set pieces before the dance demonstation begins. If you lack patience, fast forward the video.
The Polish group, Snunit, has a set of videos some of which take place at cultural festivals. Choreography is entailed as they do not do these dances in circles when appearing in the open air. However, you can see traditional circle dances in the videos filmed at a Hanakah party in 2007. If you understand Polish, you can visit them at their web site www.snunit.jewish.org.pl or see their videos on their youtube channel, snunitwarsaw
This is embarrassing. What we have been calling 'The Japanese man in the subway' has it's origins in a Taiwan dance class, it would seem. You can see all the videos on Youtube channel sychou814. This individual is quite good, at least to our eyes, and he moves great distances on beat to the music which is not easy to hear and even harder when commuters are asking him questions about which train to board as he is dancing, generally, in some subway system (or concourse as a few of these videos seem to take place in a concourse underneath some buildings). He demonstrates plenty of partner dances but, to be fair, his partner is not up to his level but he leads her quite well. Click on any of the following links to see these videos or you can see all the videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/sychou814#g/c/FA21885C862EBC60.
A group of young dancers from Latin America - we think they go by the name of Danzas Tentral although it seems as it there has been at least one name change and we have our own internal designation of 'white gowns' - provide a stylized version of some of the Israeli dances. The closest internet site found is on youtube, the america1781 channel. We have provided several links to their dances below and note that some of the spellings of the dance names as displayed on the videos have a decided latin bent
Mirjam Zach is an Israeli dance teacher in Berlin, Germany. Many of her videos are done in costume. Many of the videos take place at the Mother Earth festival in 2006 in Berlin, Germany. You can see her entire collection of videos (which include choreographers dancing their work) at the Hageulah channel using this link http://www.youtube.com/user/Hageulah
Israeli dance, although done worldwide, has its roots in Israel. Every week, large sessions are held and PDNY (and we have no other hint as to identity) during March, 2007 photographed these dances in real time during the afternoon and evening hours. You must understand that this is amateur video, and by that we mean that the lighting and posing are what they are, but the videos give the viewer a feel for what these sessions entail if you have not (and the disk coordinator is also in this position) attended these yourself. You can find all this video on the PDNY channel of youtube.
Well this was a shocker. On Youtube, you will find performances of the Wilmington session, led by Sharon Kleban, as it performed at the Arden Fairs of 2008 and 2009. The 2009 performance marked the 5th consecutive year that the group has performed at this fair and this performance has been extensively covered by this web site, being included in the A Saturday to Remember section and by a section dedicated only to the fair itself in 2009 and a more recent script dealing with both the fair and dancing at Wilmington at the fair in 2010. It would have been tough covering the 2008 fair in as much depth as this web site did not exist at the time although on this web site at various locations are some stills taken from videos pertaining to the Wilmington session's 2008 performance. Those videos of 2008 as well as the videos from the 2009 Arden fair are now on Youtube. This provided a shock to at least one of the participants when he first saw them. The disk coordinator did not expect to show a body of video work from a group that he usually covers, but here it is. We hope you enjoy these presentations on video of the Wilmington session's demonstration of Israeli dance at the various Arden Fairs. The videos that show the group on stage were taken at the fair in 2009 and you can hear for yourself that the audience was very appreciative of the demo.
Ohad Atia is a choreographer of Israeli dance and leads at least one session in the Haifa area. On the Internet, theough Youtube, he has a series of videos which describe dances in detail in Hebrew. YOu can see his site on google where he lists his accomplishments at http://sites.google.com/site/ohadatia. His videos can be found on youtube channel FreeIFD.