Dancing

Movements in the Jewish dance. Jewish dance

Jewish folk dance   is an important part of the cultural heritage of the Jews. Initially, dances were closely associated with religious ceremonies and rites. Over the centuries, they have developed and formed, expressing the emotions of the people in joy and sorrow.

Jewish Dance Traditions

  1. The first Jewish dances are attributed to dancing at Mount Sinai shortly after gaining the Torah. However, they could not be attributed to the pious, since the Jews, not waiting for Moses to return from a meeting with the Almighty, made an idol - a golden calf, made sacrifices and began to dance and have fun. Moses, who saw this scene in anger, broke the tablets on the mountain.
  2. Another legend is associated with the art of dance of the Jewish princess Salome. Performing the Jewish dance of seven veils before King Herod, she subdued him with her art so much that Herod promised to fulfill her any request. The desire of Salome turned out to get the head of John the Baptist on a platter. The king, although saddened, promised to fulfill her request.
  3. Sad facts related to Jewish dances occurred during the period of the Commonwealth. One of the funs of the Polish gentry was to get a captured Jew to dance the Jewish wedding dance mayufis to the Sabbath anthem. This was considered a great humiliation for the Jew. Subsequently, the expression "dance mayufis" became synonymous with creeping and servility.


At Michal, we can capture a picture of God that had devastating consequences in the history of the Church: that God is anti-corporal. Thus, many centuries have been preached in Catholic, Reformed and Lutheran services. This was accompanied by the fact that pleasure was dishonored and declared sinful. They tried to kill the flesh. Faced with such great resistance to physicality and dancing in the Jewish-Christian tradition, the question arises: is it really related to tango?

Often the Old Testament often mentions the importance of dancing. For example, in the so-called Hohenlide, a male choir warms the Shulammit bride with the words: Turn, turn, Shulammit! Turn around, turn around, look at you. The groom replies: What do you want to see at school? Men sing: Camp dance! The dance of the camp was a wedding dance. The bride danced violently between the two camps, i.e. two rows of male wedding guests. Seeing the dance, the groom agrees with the description. His gaze slides from the dance step along the dance shoes to the dance curves of his bride.

Jewish dance traditions

Jewish folk dances developed in certain traditions and canons. For example, according to religious rules at official events, joint dances with the opposite sex were considered unacceptable - women and men had to dance separately. But not everyone adhered to this rule. Some areas of Judaism considered this quite acceptable.

He sings in bewilderment: how beautiful are your steps in sandals, your noble ones. Your hips are round, like jewels made by the artist’s hand. Song of Songs is a collection of Israeli love songs. Perhaps surprisingly, the Bible contains a whole book of sensual lovers. However, this was controversial in the history of the Church. The Vatican Council was introduced 50 years ago in the Catholic Church that the Bible can be translated from Latin into the corresponding language of the country. In the Council, the cardinal turned against the translation with reference to the Song of Songs.

He said the Song of Songs should be left in honorary Latin. Song of songs is a book full of passion, longing, loneliness and eroticism. In his emotions Song of the Argentine tango. These cities were a multicultural mix. There was unemployment and poverty. European immigrants clashed with African slaves and Native Indians. There were many lucky, hungry and sweet. As many immigrants left their families, women and prosperity were absent. The hopes of immigrants usually quickly degenerated into depression.

Dances and dance evenings are considered to be a place for Jews where guys get acquainted with girls and choose their bride. According to Jewish tradition, the period of acquaintance and courtship is not delayed for a long time, a couple of meetings is considered sufficient to decide and make a decision.

The most famous genres of Jewish dance are Israeli dance, combining various forms, including ballet, festive dance of Hawa Nagila and the circular Jewish folk dance of the Choir, popular at weddings and religious rites. Hava Nagila is especially fond of.

Tango was born in this environment. This reflected the human sense of life: ethnic tension, existential distress, consuming desires and homeless loneliness. There was a pair of longing, opposites, melancholy, passion, anger and sensuality. The dance is not salooned because of its origin in portals and brothels. In the upper class, he is considered the exquisite dance of the wicked and poor. Meanwhile, four years later, when the Argentinean dances in Thrace and a cloak in front of the Holy See with the secretary of the embassy, \u200b\u200bhe takes the ban.

Important statements about the nature of man are found in the history of creation. As a man and a woman, he created them. God blessed them, and God told them: "Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth." God looked at everything he did: it was very good. The history of creation emphasizes that man is the image of God. This means that every person is regal and god-like. Notice that God created man with the body. This is not an accident of the Creator. Rather human body   is a symbol of the presence of God.

Hava Nagila

Translated from Hebrew, the name of this dance sounds like "let's rejoice." Originally this was just a song. Its author is Abraham Zvi Idelson. The song was based on an old Hasidic tune, and the words were written by him later. The song was dedicated to the holiday associated with the Balfour Declaration, according to which the Jewish people acquired the right to create their own state in parts of Palestine.

Man is a picture of God. In addition, body and pleasure are directly divine creations and blessings. God blesses people and enables them to multiply. Thus, the Bible emphasizes the creation of man: it was very good. In the Creation Report, we do not find God or a passionate, hostile God. The body is a good gift from God. This is a valuable gift.

Jesus was not hostile to life either. Beloved boy could lay his head on Jesus' lap. They met him at wedding ceremonies. According to the Evangelist John, he turned water into wine at a wedding in Cana. According to the evangelist, in 600 liters of wine! No trace of feelings. Jesus also enjoyed the fact that a woman sensually felt fragrant oil. Jesus was sensual, affectionate, and cruel.

This cheerful song naturally gained a dance form. The beginning of the dance is slow, then the melody gradually accelerates and ends at a powerful pace. This incendiary song is sung and danced at all celebrations and not only in Jewish communities, it has become popular all over the world.


Dear congregation, which shows a look at the Bible: God created man as a sensual being. Antiquity and xenophobia of the church were a fatal mistake. Emotionality takes its place in the Creator God and Jesus. For this reason, integrity and dance must also have their place in worship. Dance frees people from the weight of things. Dance connects singles to the community. Dance promotes a living soul.

Tango, of course, is not just a dance. He is a dance production of longing. The sensual is represented in this dance of longing, desire, passion and homelessness. Longing is, of course, one of the driving forces of Christian life. The long sky above us is visible. The desire for an eternal home. Desire for a better world. Some dancing sign says: Something is missing! The word also lives in the body, in relation and expression, in movement and step. Dancing dance   tango makes its way virtuously. Read chapter 23, verse 2 of.




Jewish dance can be called an integral part of the rich culture of this ancient people. According to legend, the Jews began to dance for the first time immediately after they acquired the Torah, at the foot of the Truth, they say that the circumstances of their first dances were not as pious as is commonly assumed. People were simply tired of waiting for Moses to talk to the Lord, so they built an idol, a little calf made of gold, offered sacrifices to him, and then they danced and chanted around him. It was this behavior of the Jews that became the reason why the tablets were broken: Moses was indignant at what he saw and in anger threw them with such force that they split on the mountain.

Upon closer inspection, we will find that each of these holidays testifies of Yeshua HaMachiach, Jesus Christ! Read articles about relevant festivals. Each of these festivals is the so-called "moss", as it is called in Hebrew, the original language of the Old Testament. “Moed” is a fixed, agreed upon time.

That is why at such times other activities and activities should rest, so that we can fully concentrate on God and His presence. Listening to His Word, sing, dance, pray, praise Him, eat and drink Be happy! With the exception of Yom Kippur, which is a pure redeeming feast, you need to fast. But even then, he will be happy when a joint Bible study is dedicated to the grace of God!

There is also a mention of how the Jewish princess Salome performed the Jewish dance of seven veils in front of King Herod. He was so fascinated that he vowed to fulfill everything that the girl desires. And she wished the death of the prophet - and his head was brought to her on a platter. As for the history itself, the facts are known that the Polish gentry at times loved to be entertained by the fact that they made every Jew caught dancing the Jewish wedding dance mayufis to the Sabbath anthem. This was considered humiliating, and subsequently the phrase "dance mayufis" became a household word and was used in the meaning of "fool, grovel in front of someone."

What disrespect for this friend! Almost all holidays are characterized by happiness, because it is about hope, salvation, renewal and forgiveness - it is about God's salvation with us people, and this is really a reason for joy! Traditionally, each festival usually has its own typical dishes. Festive dishes are very important in Jewish life, especially during festivities. Behind this is an idea based on many current events from time immemorial: They wanted to kill us.

Curiosity of the Jewish calendar: the Jewish calendar is a calendar of the moon, unlike the current gregorian calendar. It should be viewed from two sides: when there is a spring calendar, which begins with the New Year holiday of Rosh-Ashchan, in the fall of the month of Tishri.


It is traditionally believed that religion is not allowed for Jews to perform joint dances, that is, women should not dance with men - only separately from them. But this is only partly true, since so many movements of Judaism fully allow the Jewish dance to be performed all together. Moreover, even special dance evenings are practiced, in which young men get acquainted with girls with the aim of creating a family in the near future (it is not customary for Jews to meet and care for too long, most often a guy is determined after the first or second meeting, he will marry a specific girl or not).

This “double calendar” appeared because many names of the month were taken only from the local language during the Babylonian exile. Prior to this, in most cases, for example, from the “second month, seventh month”, etc. how the Jewish calendar is built can be found in the previous paragraph.

What is God's purpose in these festivals? God is the God of joy; it is not in vain that He tells us in many places in His Word that we should rejoice. This is best with celebrations! And, on the other hand, as the most important reason, these biblical festivities serve to make God's people remember every year how God cared for them, led them and healed them. At the same time, all these holidays point to Yeshua ha-Machiah, Jesus the Anointed One.

Of particular note is the Hava Nagila dance. This Hebrew name translates as “Let's rejoice,” and initially there was only a song. Abraham Zvi Idelson wrote it, taking as a basis the Hasidic ancient melody. At one time, he studied the folklore of his people and heard the melody of a future masterpiece by chance in 1915. He wrote it in his notebook, where a large number of other melodies, legends and traditions have already been gathered. He came up with words for her later. He dedicated his song to the holiday that came for all Jews at the moment when the Balfour Declaration was issued, giving the people the right to build their state on one of the sites belonging to Palestine.

Yeshua himself, the apostles and the first congregations also celebrated these holidays. All believers were then Jews, and those who were not were “vaccinated” - more about them here. All of them are preludes on God's plan of salvation and Jesus, as the Messiah of Israel, from His death to the establishment of the messianic kingdom.

What are festivals? Shabbat is a weekly recurring festival. Of the other seven Bible festivals, the first four are the Spring Festival - Easter, unleavened bread, the first fruits, Shavuot. By the first coming of the Messiah Yeshua, His crucifixion and resurrection, and then the coming of the Holy Spirit, all these spring festivals were realized. And, as we celebrate our birthday, we celebrate these four holidays in memory of the first steps of God's plan of salvation that have already taken place.

But since it was a song of joy, it simply could not but develop into Jewish dances. “Hawa Nagila” is very simple in its execution. The words of the song are as unpretentious as that is why even those who have never danced “Hawa Nagila” will have no difficulty remembering them. She is so incendiary that to this day they sing and dance at every celebration, gathered in a friendly, cheerful round dance. The beginning of the melody is gradually accelerated, and after it the movements of the dancers speed up, which causes a lot of positive emotions.

Tenah consists of three parts: Torah, Nevi and Ketuwima, but these two above-mentioned holidays have biblical foundations: Purim refers to the salvation of the Jewish people, as described in the book of Esther and Hanukkah, on the festival of lights, the re-dedication of the second temple after the Maccabees, as described in book of the Maccabees, as well as in the Talmud. Three of the Bible festivals are the so-called main festivals - the pilgrimage Easter, Schauot and Sukkot, where believers pilgrim to Jerusalem to the temple on Mount Zion from all over Germany and abroad.

The Romans are no longer sacrificed, but thousands of Jews from all over the world come to Jerusalem, and more and more Christians cease to exist. Festivals outside the Bible: in addition to Bible festivals, there are also bourgeois festivals, such as Jom Hashchoa, Yom Jesholalayim, Yom HaAtzma “Ut, Tu b” Shevat and some others.