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June 12, 2009
Or Chadash to Israel
Dancers receive support from P2K for the trip.
LAUREN KRAMER
They are ambassadors to the Jewish community of Greater Vancouver, to the community at large and to Israeli culture. They are 29 kids with a passion for Israeli dance and a commitment to Or Chadash, their dance group. And they're going to Israel later this month to perform in the Karmiel Festival and learn new dance routines under the guidance of an Israeli choreographer.
The roots of Or Chadash go back to 2004, the first year of Vancouver's Festival Ha'Rikud. A year later, working with the Partnership 2000 (P2K) initiative, a group of Israeli dancers called Hora Goel made the trek from the Holy Land to Vancouver to perform at the festival and conduct dance workshops for Jewish youth around the Lower Mainland. Hora Goel made such a strong impression that Debbie Tabenkin, Festival Ha'Rikud's organizer and backbone, was determined to start an Israeli dance group in Vancouver.
"Or Chadash was formed directly in response to Hora Goel being in Vancouver," she said. "We felt Or Chadash would inspire younger dancers and have a leadership role. We are trying to groom many of the older dancers to become instructors."
Initially, there were 10 participants in Or Chadash, but with auditions every year and new dancers joining the group, the numbers have grown to 29. Today, there are two troupes: a junior group of dancers in grades 7 through 9, and a senior group representing kids in grades 10 and up.
Brenley Rosenblatt and Jessica Casiro, both former members of the Chai folk ensemble of Winnipeg, teach and choreograph the routines to Israeli music, sometimes complimented with Yiddish, Ladino and Middle Eastern tunes.
There are many benefits to being involved in Or Chadash, said Tabenkin. "The dancers learn about Israeli culture and have opportunities to perform at community events like the Chutzpah! Festival and the Yom Ha'atzmaut community celebration," she said. "They represent the community at international festivals, work with visiting choreographers and have opportunities to travel and meet other dancers from around the world."
At this year's Festival Ha'Rikud, the dancers met groups from Miami and Winnipeg. While Or Chadash will be heading to Miami next June, for now, the dancers are excitedly anticipating their trip to Israel this month. The trip costs $2,800 per dancer and is being supported by the P2K Gesher Chai program of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver.
When they perform in Kiryat Shemona, Or Chadash members will stay in the homes of the Hora Goel dancers. For their second performance, at the Karmiel Festival, the two groups will sleep in a local high school.
"We want them to continue to build and enhance our connection with Hora Goel," said Tabenkin. She's hoping that more youth from the Vancouver community will get the opportunity to benefit from the P2K experience. She is holding auditions for new members on Sunday, June 21. Prospective dancers can call her at 604-257-5113 or e-mail her at [email protected] for more information.
Lauren Kramer is a Vancouver freelance writer.
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