Israel~Sunshine~People = A Great Video!

Living in Israel has always been a family affair. We now have children and grandchildren who have become a part of life in this incredible country.

For those of you who have never been here we can only encourage you to come and see for yourselves. We are so much more than the news of the world tells you!

The video below will give you a peek into what "everyday" Israel is like. We are proud that "our family" took part in the making of this film. 

Our oldest son, David, and his two children appear in the video, and the choreography, movement direction and casting was done by David's wife, Adi Gordon Rawlings. 

Sit back, take a few minutes and enjoy Sunshine Across Israel~The Israel we love!

* Created by Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

* Music is  Matisyahu's hit "Sunshine" from his album "Spark Seeker" (2012)

Sunshine Across Israel~Add a Bit of Sunshine To Your Day!

Where the World is Matt?

Matt Dances Around the World...

Matt Got it Wrong: This is Jerusalem Dance!

Part 12~Hora Efrochim~Hora L'Agadati

The final dance performed in our series is called Hora L'Agadati. The name is derived from one of Israel's most popular citizens, Baruch Kauschenski-Agadati, known for bringing Folk Dance "from the street to the stage".

Baruch Kauschenski-Agadati was a Russian-Israeli classical ballet dancer, choreographer, painter, film producer and director. Born in Bessarabia, and raised in Odessa, he made Aliyah in the early 1900's where he attended the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem. Agadati went on to become a key personality of the Israeli arts world and one of the pioneers of cinema in Israel.

We hope you have enjoyed watching some of Israel's brightest young people in action. Regardless of what you may hear or think about Israel, life does go on each day~people go to work, they laugh, they cry, and our children dance...!

Part 12 of 12~Hora Efrochim~Hora L'Agadati

~Deutsche~ 

Bitte entschuldigen Sie die schlechte Übersetzung, sind wir nicht Deutsch sprechen

Der letzte Tanz in unserer Serie durchgeführt nennt Hora L'Agadati. Der Name stammt von einer der beliebtesten Bürger Israels, Baruch Kauschenski-Agadati, für die Erhebung Folk Dance "von der Straße auf die Bühne" bekannt sind, abgeleitet.  Baruch Kauschenski-Agadati, war ein russisch-israelischen klassisches Ballett Tänzer, Choreograph, Maler-, Film-Produzent und Regisseur. Geboren in Bessarabien, und aufgewachsen in Odessa, machte er Aliyah in der Zeit um 1900, wo er an der Bezalel Akademie für Kunst und Design in Jerusalem. Agadati fuhr fort, eine wichtige Persönlichkeit der israelischen Kunst weltweit und zählt zu den Pionieren des Kinos in Israel geworden. Wir hoffen, Sie haben genossen, einige der begabtesten jungen Menschen Israels in Aktion. Unabhängig davon, was Sie hören oder denken über Israel, das Leben ist an jedem Tag gehen~Menschen zur Arbeit zu gehen, sie lachen, weinen sie, und unsere Kinder tanzen ...! 

Teil 12 von 12~Hora Efrochim~Hora L'Agadati

Part 11~Hora Efrochim~Meng Zhong, China Dream

Part 11 of 12~Hora Efrochim~Meng Zhong, China Dream

Teil 11 von 12~Hora Efrochim~Meng Zhong, China Dream

Teil 11 von 12~Meng Zhong, Chinesischer Traum

Part 10~Hora Efrochim~Wonder Girls

Part 10 of 12~Hora Efrochim~Wonder Girls

Teil 10 von 12~Hora Efrochim~Wundermaedchen

Part 9~Hora Efrochim~Eastern Wind

Part 9 of 12~Hora Efrochim~Eastern Wind

Part 8~Hora Efrochim~Ukrainian Folk Dance

Part 8 of 12~Hora Efrochim~Ukrainian Folk Dance

Deutsche~Hora Efrochim~Ukraine

Part 6~Hora Efrochim~Troup Smiles and Dance

Being part of a dance troupe means that you don't often get to be in the spotlight, rather, you are a part of a whole.

In the first section of this video, you will see some of the children in the troupe as they enjoy a "close-up" moment.

The dance that follows comes from a Portuguese tune called "Smiles". It was translated to Hebrew and is sung by Chava Elberstein, one of Israel's most popular singers.

* A rough translation of the song is below the video

Part 6 of 12~Hora Efrochim~Troup Smiles and Dances

Smiles (Chiyuchim)...Chava Alberstein 

 If the sun is new every morning 

If the flowers are just a smile to the world 

If a rolling wave is laughing to the skies 

So why do we not laugh with them all? 

If there are circuses and clowns, 

If the children's laughter sounds clear and not far 

Laughter in the market, of the sea, of the school bell 

So why do we not learn to laugh? 

You should, you should learn from the flowers 

Do not skimp with smiles 

And the world, will suddenly look so good 

Better to dream and hope, to try just once 

You should laugh, you should live, you should love 

You should smile, its also permitted to be angry 

But be careful not to destroy 

You can weave a wonderful dream for a rainy day 

Everything will certainly be better, but for now 

If You can cry for no reason, you can also sing 

A man goes his own way and it is foreign to him 

And he is silent and the whole world is silent 

Suddenly in front of him a baby smiles 

And the whole world laughs and laughs 

And again the sun kisses the city with love 

A wave of light plays over a rock 

Shadows of light play over the train tracks 

What's so important  that we forget

It is better, you should learn...

Teil 6 von 12~Hora Efrochim Ein Laecheln

Part 5~Hora Efrochim At Work

A dance troupe only receives international acclaim if they are very good and that takes hours upon hours of back-breaking training, endless practice, costume planning and changes, dress rehearsals, makeup, hair, and on and on, ad infinitum. 

 

Preparing dozens of excited kids for a performance (whether at home or away) is a daunting task. Consider that each dancer, for every dance must have a costume, hair style and makeup that, when put together on stage, will tell a story. The time for costume changes between each dance is only moments, as an audience can not be kept waiting!

With a large troupe the efforts grow exponentially and when the troupe consists of adrenalin filled young people the whirlwind of emotions in the air can intimidate anyone. The following clip provides a back stage glimpse into some of the effort that goes into a performance as well as the joy and laughter of these wonderful kids...

 

Part 5 of 12~Hora Efrochim At Work

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 8

...And God said let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life.  And fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven...

The girls were so excited to use their feathery wings to "fly" across the stage. Delightful!

One of the most wonderful things about the evening was that everybody volunteered their time and resources. From the filming to create the backdrops, the voice of "God" as well as a few songs by the singer Adam, the artist who created the paintings "live", even the purchase of canvas and paints--given freely and joyfully. All came together eagerly to help these beautiful children with their performance. The love and giving of these children is so open and free. As Mayor Nir Barkat said in his opening remarks, this group truly shows that in Jerusalem , Everything is Possible!

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. 

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

HaKol Petuach~Part 6

Sometimes the timing is off, but these enthusiastic kids 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!

For the past month we have been posting clips from an amazing performance by the dance troupe HaKol Petuach. 

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. I urge everyone to please visit Their Site and support these amazing children in their goals!

Amazing Dance Troupe HaKol Petuach~Part 5

The waters receded and the dry land appeared. During the performance, while costumes changes were being made, the audience was treated to beautiful scenes of an artist "painting the days of creation" In all live performances, there are glitches, and in this clip we see that these precious girls are no exception. But, as the audience watched, it was not the lost steps or the  problem with removal of outer costumes that the audience saw--it was the determination to complete their task--and God saw that it was good--and the evening and the morning were the third day...

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.

Dance Troupe HaKol Petuach~The Creation Part 3

Laila~The Night. Following the night God speaks Light into the world and the first day...

The Creation Story by 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...

The Creation Story by HaKol Petuach~Introduction

Earlier I posted about an amazing group of dancers (HaKol Petuach) who performed for the Jerusalem Arts Festival. Despite sever learning and mental disabilities these young people demonstrate that everything is indeed possible. Over the next days we will post the entire performance in sections. At the end there will a DVD available of the entire performance.

Today is the Introduction Dance and the Greeting my the Mayor of Jerusalem Nir Barkat.

This is a medley of songs chosen by the girls. Their instructor, Momi Gil asked them what were the things they loved in live. He chose the songs according to their response...Enjoy!