KlezmerQuerque 2017

Bio Avia Moore

Avia has joyfully taught and led Yiddish dance at festivals and events transcontinentally – in North America, Europe, and Russia. She is a PhD student in Theatre and Performance Studies at York University, working on the ways that traditions and heritage culture are woven into contemporary performances of identity.

No matter the size of the crowd, Avia Moore keeps the whole room dancing. Avia instills her workshops with a sense of tradition while exploring contemporary approaches to the style. Avia grew up dancing, a child of the folk music scene in Western Canada. As a young child at family dances led by her own family, she used to pride herself on dancing every dance. Over the years Avia has performed with several folk dance performance groups, including Balada Romanian Folkdance Ensemble (Edmonton) and Ring O’Bells Morris (New York). Avia is a director and producer with expertise in cultural performance. Dedicated to exploring traditional culture in a contemporary world, she is a PhD student in Performance Studies.  Avia has led Yiddish Dance Parties at festivals and events internationally, including:  Jewish Culture Festival in Krakow, Internationales Klezmer Festival Fürth (Germany), Yiddish Summer Weimar (Germany), Jewish Community Center in St Petersburg (Russia), KlezNorth (England), KlezKanada, the Ashkenaz Festival (Canada), International Dance Flurry Festival (New York), Zlatne Uste Golden Festival (New York), the Montreal Jewish Music Festival (Canada), the Montreal Baroque Festival (Canada), Klezmerquerque (New Mexico).