Reminiscing: When Night Clubs Meant Elegance And...

Performers Were Talented, Not Naked~Cab Calloway and the Nicholas Brothers (1:34)

Amazing~Nobody Can Compare to Their Talent...

Lipa Schmeltzer On Stage With Nachal Haredi Soldiers

Nachal Hareidi Soldiers Dance at United Hatzalah Concert

Jerusalem Flashmob in Mamilla Mall

For some time now videos and pictures of the Flashmob phenomenon have been appearing on the internet from  cities all over the world.  Israel is no exception!

On the 11th of November 2011. The Hora Dance Comany of Jerusalem staged their own Flashmob. They chose as their site the area in the New Mamilla Mall, right in front of the stairs leading from the Jaffa Gate in the Old City.

It was a beautiful sunny afternoon and the surrounding cafe's were full of people. Little did they know that the cafe's, the stairs and the area would soon be flooded with music and dance! 

Israeli choreographer, Adi Gordon Rawlings, gathered together nearly two hundred dancers aged ten to fifty to surprise locals and tourists during their afternoon shopping...This is Israel!

Game On~A Bollywood Gamer's Anthem

I've never seen The Guild, I'm not a Gamer and not into Bollywood...I just felt like something that was a bit of fun...Enjoy!

Amazing Dance Troupe~HaKol Petuach~Part 10

After the chaos of Creation, the "Rhythm" of the world takes hold.

It is a simple beat, but for the kids who were chosen to perform in the rhythm section, it  was a great accomplishment!

In this clip you can not hear it, but the audience had joined in, and their enthusiastic clapping almost drowned out the performers. All who attended came away changed, filled with "happy"--these kids are contagious!

Amazing Dance Troupe~HaKol Petuach~Part 9

One of the highlights of the evening--the creation of the animal world. My favorite? Watch near the end and see if you can spot it...

Amazing Dance Troupe~HaKol Petuach~Part 7

The girls were joined on stage by Adam, formerly one of Israel's favorite singers, to do a song (and dance) about the night. The girls were so delighted to be on stage with Adam.

And God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day...

Amazing Dance Troupe~HaKol Petuach~Part 6

Here is another segment of the performance at the Jerusalem Theater on 04 April 2011.  Yes, sometimes the timing is off, but these enthusiastic kids do not quit--they just go back and start over!

This clip shows some of the amazing backdrop features that were shown to the audience while the girls were changing costumes.

And God created two lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night, and He also created the stars...

New Blog for An Amazing Dance Troupe!

I have been posting clips taken during the dance performance by an amazing  group of young people at the Jerusalem Theater. They were invited to do their show "The Six Days of Creation" for the Jerusalem Arts Festival 2011. The Mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat attended and introduced this outstanding group of young people stating: this group,  HaKol Petuach, shows that in Jerusalem, Everything is Indeed possible.

Just recently they have started their own Blog called OpenDance1. On this new site they will be posting information and film clips as they become available.

The goal of the group is to have their own "home" where they can hold rehearsals, lessons and of course store their costumes and stage props. Eventually they hope to establish a school, where special needs children and young adults can learn dance and develop a career in the arts.

I urge everyone to please visit Their Site and support these amazing children in their goals! If you are interested in being involved please contact them via their site. I cannot think of a more worthy or rewarding cause!

HaKol Petuach~Part 5 of Creation of the Earth

To entertain the audience during costume changes, the backdrop of the stage was used as a huge screen, where the audience was treated to beautiful scenes of an artist "painting the days of creation" There are always glitches in live performances, and in this clip we see that these precious girls are no exception. However, it was not the lost steps or the  problem with smoothly removing and clearing away the outer garments that the audience saw--it was the  concentrated determination to complete the task at hand.

...and God saw that it was good--and the evening and the morning were the third day...

My Sharia? Opinions Welcome...

Currently I am struggling with a project so posting will be slow in the next days. I am taking a page from something I often see on Blogs--putting up a picture or clip for people to comment on. 

I found this on Blazing Cat Fur, and to be honest, I just can't think of a single thing to say~it will be interesting to see if anyone else can...

Remember the Fallen~Pray the Missing Return

The Attack on 25 June, 2006

During this week of Pesach we all want to be with family. Sadly, too many families will have empty chairs at their seder table.

Please take a moment to remember, and say a prayer for all who who were taken from this world too soon, and for the speedy, safe return of the missing to their waiting families.

Pray that we will see peace in our time, and that our young people will be spared the need to stand on the front lines defending us.

Pray that parents, siblings and friends will no longer have to mourn the loss of those who were not given a chance to grow old, who did not even begin to live.

At 5:40 am, on the morning of 25 June 2006, terrorists from the Hamas and Popular Resistance Committees terror organizations infiltrated Israel through a tunnel originating from the Rafah area, passing under the security fence to the area between the Kerem Shalom and Sufa crossings.

Lt. Hanan Barak

Staff-Sgt. Pavel Slutzke

The terrorists,operating under cover of mortar and anti-tank fire from within the Gaza Strip, attacked an armored personnel carrier, an IDF tank and a watchtower. IDF forces returned fire, killing at least two terrorists. Even so, the attack resulted in the murder of two Israeli soldiers,  Lt. Hanan Barak, age 20, from Arad, who had planned  be a career officer after his three years of service ended, and Staff-Sgt. Pavel Slutzker, age 20, from Dimona, who had been awarded a full scholarship from Bar Ilan University, where he planned to study medicine. Four other soldiers were wounded, one severely, two moderately and one lightly. 

Greatly loved and missed by their friends and families, we must never forget that these two young men gave their lives in the service of our country. We must never forget the suffering of their families, and the emptiness they must deal with each day, and more so during the holidays. Their grief is unimaginable.

This same attack resulted in the kidnap of one soldier, Cpl. Gilad Shalit, and to this day his whereabouts and condition remain unknown--not even the Red Cross has been allowed to see him or confirm his status. When I see the posters, or pass the tent of the Shalit family in Jerusalem, I always remember there were two other young men on that dreadful morning--and they will never return. 

The entire country has hoped, prayed, petitioned, and waited, for the safe return of Gilad Shalit. Organizations, clubs and individuals have held every kind of  event to raise awareness. Endless efforts have been made, and will continue to be made to "bring Gilad back." Most importantly, people work tirelessly to insure that the world is not allowed to forget that a son of Israel is out there, waiting to come home.

To that end, on 19 March 2011, about 230 AMHSI students from all over the United States, as well as Israeli high school students from the Mosenson School, held a Flash Mob Dance to raise awareness of Gilad Shalit's plight and to remind the world that we want his safe return--now! This was filmed at the Port in Tel Aviv (that's in Israel)--and no matter what the PA spin doctors try to tell you, Tel Aviv is and always will be Israeli!

The song "One Day" is by AMHSI alumnus, Matisyahu, and was remixed by Israeli trance band Infected Mushroom.  Students have the opportunity of a premier Israel academic experience at Alexander Muss High School in Israel. AMHSI is dedicated to engaging teens to discover and embrace their connection to Israel's history, culture and land through education, experiences, and understanding.  

One Day~All Our Children Will Play~Freely, Safely...

Amazing Dance Troupe~Hakol Petuach~Part 4

Maim~The Waters. And God saw that it was good. And the evening and the the morning were the second day.

Amazing Dance Troupe~HaKol Petuach~Part 3

Laila~The Night. Following the darkness of night, God speaks Light into the world...and the evening and the morning are the first day...

Amazing Dance Troupe~HaKol Petuach Part 2

In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth...this short clip shows the interpretation of the "nothing" that was until God spoke the world into being...

Amazing Dance Troupe Video~HaKol Petuach~Introduction

Earlier I posted about an amazing group of dancers (HaKol Petuach) who performed for the Jerusalem Arts Festival. These amazing young people have worked very hard--harder than most because they have severe mental and learning disabilities. Yet, they have shown that everything is indeed open to all who try to overcome. For all who are interested in helping these girls the complete video will be available for purchase in the next days.

I will be posting the entire performance by dance sections. Today is the Introduction Dance and the Greeting by the Mayor of Jerusalem Nir Barkat.

This medley of songs was chosen by the girls. Their instructor, Momi Gil asked them what they loved in live. He chose the songs accordingly...Enjoy!

An Amazing Night with a One of a Kind Dance Troupe!

Last night, 04 April 2010, I attended the performance of an amazing dance troupe called HaKol Petuach (Everything is Open) at the Jerusalem Arts Festival. Their program was בריאת העולם (Creation of the World). The simple description of the program said:

The Jerusalem Art Festival stages an exciting performance, charmingly and professionally done, presenting the story of the Creation in words, movement and sound. With singer Adam and the Hakol Patuach dance troupe, the special group of the Jerusalem Municipality's Arts Division. Direction, choreography and costumes: Momi Gil. Producer and troupe director: Sarah Sharabi.

The program and the story behind this night is a film in itself! HaKol Petuach dance troupe is made up of severely mentally challenged, special needs children. At the start of the performance the Mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat stood and told the audience:

 All those who participate in the Jerusalem Arts Festival contribute to the mosaic of Jerusalem. Hakol Patuach shows that everything is possible.This dance troupe, reflects Jerusalem in 2011. Everything in Jerusalem is open for all levels of society to express themselves and we are so proud to have this troupe perform for us tonight. I usually don't stay at performances because of my schedule, but tonight I will stay to the end. Enjoy!

Day 1~Formless & Empty

The director of Hakol Patuach, Momi (Shlomo) Gil, was the first boy dancer for the Rubin Academy for Music and Dance. Momi was also the first boy to dance with the late Bracha Dudai, who was a major contributor to the hora, to the city of Jerusalem and to the art of dance. Bracha started the Hora Dance troupe, a Jerusalem group that has traveled the world, and is now led by Adi Gordon Rawlings (David's wife).

The Dry Land

Momi had spent many years as a dancer in New York, then returned to Israel to dance with Bat Sheva, critically acclaimed and popularly embraced as one of the most exciting contemporary dance companies in the world. He started a women's dress store in Jerusalem and his name can be found  listed in the credits for costumes and design of countless performances.

Let the Birds Fly Above the Earth...

It was eighteen years ago that Momi became involved with HaKol Petuach. Every week he has donated his time to the group--teaching, choreographing and then designing and making All of the costumes for their performances!

HaKol Petuach's first "show" took place in 2010--they performed a mere three dances. It was so successful that the Municipality asked them to prepare a full evening's performance for the Jerusalem Arts Festival 2011. Last night was the result of their hard work.

At one point the stage went black. A gentle rhythmic beat gradually increased as the lights came up. Seated in a semi-circle the group of various percussionists were drumming out a joyful sound. The precise beat filled the theater. A delighted audience enthusiastically joined in, clapping in time and bouncing in their seats.  Pure magic!

Family and friends of the performers, filled the theater, but many who attended had no idea of the unique experience they were about to undergo.

A review of the evening was posted by Voices Magazine, called Accidental Audience, where the author states "Tears poured down my cheeks."

Israeli Singer Adam

Indeed, emotion flooded the building--and how could anyone not be touched!

Words can not describe the unabashed joy these young people poured into their work and  through their efforts it flowed generously out to the audience who somehow knew that the hours of training, the rehearsals, the music, the backdrops and costumes had been wrapped together in a special gift of love--just for them. It left everyone with lasting memories.

It is Truly a Wonderful World

Popular Israeli singer, Adam participated in the show as the "Voice of the Bible". He then joined the girls onstage. They sang and swayed to the tune of "It's a Wonderful World",

The joy, and love of their craft displayed by  these performers had everyone convinced that we do indeed live in wonderful world . 


And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good...

David & Momi Backstage

For the past eight months my colleague, David has been following the  efforts of this special group of dancers. He immediately recognized the importance of this project both to the girls and society as a whole. David's goal is to help them create their own "house" in Jerusalem. The purpose of this house is to provide a place for severely mentally challenged children to learn to express themselves in a safe, warm and loving environment.

There are no bookings yet, but this show is going to go world wide. David said to me "I feel like Hashem has shown me that this dance troupe is of His making".

David and his friend Noel set up cameras and filmed the entire performance from back stage rehearsals to the finale. A DVD will be available soon. 

David is also working on a documentary for the group--this is a story that needs telling! 

Lordi Jinak~Who??

Sometimes life can be intense. That's when I look for a stress reliever. I don't know where this came from--someone said it may be from Moravia--in the eastern part of the Czech Republic. Regardless, these dancers clearly have a sense of humor...Enjoy!