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SPECIAL Zoom Workshop with Jewish/ Yiddish Dance Master Steve Weintraub: Jewish Dance, movement and gestures in virtual prayer “uvechol meodecha.”

Please join special guest Steve Weintraub, Yiddish dance master from Philadelphia PA for “U’vechol Meodecha” from Steve Weintraub:

Most congregational Jewish services are being held on Zoom, and are seeming less participatory because the participants are muted.   Whereas  previously services have been moving in the direction of congregants singing and chanting together, and offering typical responses like Amen and Baruch Hu,  on Zoom we can only see some participants moving their lips as they sing or daven but, like Hannah, no sound emanates.

How can we restore a congregational feeling while on Zoom, where sound is suppressed? It seems to me that the best option is the visual, through movement. We already have set movements incorporated into service:  rising and turning to greet the Sabbath bride on Lecha Dodi, rising and bowing on Barchu, covering the eyes on the Shma, retreating then advancing 3 steps before the Amidah, and rising on the toes on Kadosh kadosh kadosh.  I propose it is not a far leap to encourage and lead congregational movement.   It can start as simply as swaying.  It can move towards the kinds of Jewish gestures a Chassidic Rov might use to energize and exhort his chassidim.  Pre-arranged gestures could be used for Amen and Baruch Hu. 

I would like to pursue and develop these ideas further with your community.  I think it would be a comfort and enhancement, and help prevent synagogue services from moving in the direction of non-participatory performance.

I have experimented with this, once as a guest movement leader for Rabbi Malkah Binah Klein at the final service of her tenure at Am Haskalah in Bethlehem PA, and as a lively congregant at Cantor Jeff Waschauer’s services at the Jewish Center of Princeton, NJ.  People participated gladly in Bethlehem, and I notice my physical enthusiasm catching on with some of the other participants at services in NJ. 

To give you an idea of how some Jewish people use a traditional “Jewish-style” of movements and hand gestures, here's a wonderful Yiddish singer singing about a wedding with very conversational Jewish gestures:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KY53tM1nIjA

Here are some enthusiastic Chassidic musical gesturing (particularly by the Rebbe) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwYqktSdsn8

And just for fun-- at the end of that video is a young fellow doing some fairly athletic solo "kadatshky" dancing.

Please join us for the fun and learning and bring your own movements and gestures to share!

For more information contact Beth Cohen by sending an email to cohenedmunds@netzero.net

All are welcome!! Donations to Nahalat Shalom are also appreciated to help pay for this event CLICK HERE to donate and please add “Dance Workshop” to the donation notes.