HoraWiki - User contributions [en]

Original Music

2026-07-27T15:55:44Z

Larry: Ani Eshtage'a additions & fixes

Dances that are usually done to an adapted version of the music.

The adaptation is usually a Hebrew version of the lyrics set to
the original melody, sometimes a translation but often just similar-sounding words. Dances typically done to the original music aren't
listed here, even if the lyrics aren't in Hebrew.

Click any column header to sort the table by that column.



{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Dance Name !! Original Name !! Language !! Translation !! Lyricist / Composer !! Notes/Links
|-
| Adon Olam || La Femme de mon ami || French || My Friend's Wife || René Blanc, Jacques Demarny, Enrico Macias || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_7hL5XMCZU Sung by Enrico Macias]
|-
| Agadat HaSultan || Μέσ της πόλης τα στενά || Greek || Alleyways of Istanbul || Spyros Peristeris(?) / Giannis Papaioannou(?) || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRkMXTBGRf4 sung by Stella Haskil]; [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6V6KX9Mb4ho another version]
|-
| Ahava Asura || [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elle_%C3%A9tait_si_jolie Elle était si jolie] || French || She Was So Pretty || [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alain_Barri%C3%A8re Alain Barrière] || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoZb0_fzs3s watch] (The melody is also the original tune for [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO4ygYgjh2c Ha'Ir Be'Afor]; more info [[Ha'Ir Be'Afor | here]].)
|-
| Ahava Atzuma || [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L'amour_est_bleu L'amour est bleu] || French || Love is Blue || Pierre Cour / [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9_Popp André Charles Jean Popp] || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD4ib9-laGY Sung] by Greek-born [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicky_Leandros Vicky Leandros], taking 4th place for Luxembourg in the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurovision_Song_Contest_1967 1976 Eurovision Song Contest] in Vienna
|-
| Al Titni Lo || El Camino || Spanish || The Road || [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gipsy_Kings Gipsy Kings] || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0A9KU-xBEY watch]
|-
| Amru Lo || Azzurro || Italian || Blue || Paolo Conte & Vito Pallavicini / Paolo Conte & Michele Virano || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1VGoKBKR3I sung] by Adriano Celentano
|-
| Ani Bach Shavui || Πάω απόψε να τρελαθώ || Greek || I'm Going To Go Crazy Tonight || Kosmas / Savvas Iliadis|| [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkHNNm_h0vo sung] by Giorgos Giannias; [http://www.greeklyrics.gr/lyrics/view/3252/paw-apopse-na-trelathw lyrics]
|-
| Ani Chozer HaBayta || Lasciatemi Cantare || Italian || Let Me Sing || Toto Cutugno || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-4RLPSwNtc performed] by the composer; [https://lyricstranslate.com/en/Toto-Cutugno-L%E2%80%99italiano-lyrics.html lyrics] (with translations)
|-
| Ani Eshtage'a || La Partida || Spanish || Parting || Carlos Bonnet || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M-I6dCMHg8 performed] by Carmela (Carmen Requeta Dideo); [https://lyricstranslate.com/en/la-partida-prydh.html lyrics & translation]
|-
| [[At Li Paris]] || Africa || Italian || Africa || Salvatore "Toto" Cutugno et. al. || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7191wBlMbg performed] by Toto Cutugno; more information [[At Li Paris | here]]
|-
| At Oti Shofetet || Άντε Γεια || Greek || Goodbye || Panos Falaras / Kostas Miliotakis || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFY_drG-XfA performed] by Kaiti Garbi; [https://kithara.to/stixoi/MTQ2NDQyOTcw/ante-geia-garmpi-kaiti-lyrics Greek lyrics]
|-
| BaAviv At Tashuvi Chazara || Au printemps tu reviendras || French || In the Spring, You Will Return || Charles Aznavour || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjRBmHlgEig listen]
|-
| BaChof Shel Trapatoni || Μια νύχτα μόνο δεν φτάνει || Greek || Just One Night is Not Enough || Sotis Volanis & Panos Kamelis || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3v4GcrgVp1c sung] by Sotis Volanis
|-
| [[BeSof Ma'agal]] || At the End of the Circle || English || || Kenny Young || more information [[BeSof Ma'agal|here]]
|-
| [[Chad Gadya]] || Alla Fiera dell'Est || Italian || At the Eastern Fair || Luisa Zappa / Angelo Branduardi
| [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP2gqdGf1qU performed] by Branduardi; [[Chad Gadya|''more info'']]
|-
| Chalom O Shnayim || Τα Παιδιά του Πειραιά || Greek || The Children of Piraeus || Manos Hadjidakis || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28EAWlOXrYs performed by Melina Mercouri]. The song [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Never_on_Sunday_(song) Never on Sunday] also uses this music.
|-
| Chalon Mashkif || زَينة / عزيزة || Arabic || Zeina / Aziza || Mohammed Abdel Wahad || [https://youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=sBFnM2gh1qo&t=1m35s Listen to Zeina] [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vuFYi6mu-Ns&t=25s Listen to Aziza]
|-
| Cheruti || Libertà || Italian || Freedom || Albano Carrisi & Romina Power || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CreqEL1p24 sung] (lyric subtitles) by Al Bano & Romina
|-
| El Elohei Shamayim || Ένα το χελιδόνι || Greek || One Single Swallow || Mikis Theodorakis || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9KLSwhr9E4 sung] by Gregory Bithikotsis; [https://lyricstranslate.com/en/%CE%AD%CE%BD%CE%B1-%CF%84%CE%BF-%CF%87%CE%B5%CE%BB%CE%B9%CE%B4%CF%8C%CE%BD%CE%B9-one-single-swallow.html lyrics/translation]
|-
| [[Gan Chorpi]] || Jardin d'hiver || French || Winter Garden || Benjamin Biolay & Keren Ann || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKyToxL31as sung] by Keren Ann; more info [[Gan Chorpi | here]]
|-
| HaAviv || Le printemps || French || The Spring|| Michel Fugain & Le Big Bazar || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6O3bM4MtVc watch]
|-
| HaShoshana Porachat || Los Bilbilicos (La Rosa Enflorese) || Ladino || The Little Nightingales || folk || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiqHqp0ZVr8 sung]; Also in English [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHNSAK-iWy0 The Swallow] by Richard Fariña
|-
| Ilu Tsiporim || Si tous les oiseaux || French || If All the Birds || Jean Broussolle / Jean-Pierre Calvet || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QcRHPTx4VQ listen]; [https://www.paroles-musique.com/paroles-Les-Compagnons-De-La-Chanson-Si-Tous-Les-Oiseaux-lyrics,p18681 lyrics]
|-
| Irisim || Γύρισε || Greek || Come Back! || Nikos Fatseas / Giannis Vella || Performed by [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZL2EXhZGh8 Nikos Gounaris], by [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWDFFxKsemE Stella Greca] and by duet [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1kzD4qYxc0 Ofra Haza and Glykeria]; [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdPpEFEjF_4 lyrics]
|-
| Isha Al HaChof || Τώρα που πας στην ξενιτιά || Greek || Now You Go to Foreign Lands || Nikos Gatsos / Manos Hadjidakis || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07T9zcpFD-A sung] by Nana Mouskouri
|-
| Kachol || Far From Home || English || || (instrumental) / folk (Shetlands?) || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GnC0GUDPgs listen]
|-
| Keshenavo || Τι θέλεις, γέρο; || Greek || What Do You Want, Old Man? || Giorgos Kalamariotis / Argyris Kounadis
| [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5srFXu-fXk sung] by Rena Koumiwti
|-
| Ksheyavo Shalom || When the Saints Go Marching In || English || || Folk / Christian hymn || Many recordings starting 1923, including a jazz version by Louis Armstrong in 1938. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_the_Saints_Go_Marching_In more information]
|-
| Kmo SheAt || [https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comme_toi_(chanson_de_Jean-Jacques_Goldman) Comme toi] || French || Like You || [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Jacques_Goldman Jean-Jacques Goldman] || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySZBnMukO8g performed] by the artist; [http://lyricstranslate.com/en/comme-toi-just-you.html lyrics] (with translation)
|-
| Kmo Sira Trufa || Μετανιώνω || Greek || I Regret || Natalia Germanou / [https://www.facebook.com/pg/tonykontaxakismusic/about/ Tony Kontaxakis] || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL2THxQaS0Q sung] by Despina Vandi
|-
| Kulanu BaMitzad || В Путь! || Russian || Let's Go! || Mikhail Dudin / Vasily Solovyov-Sedoi || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jqOGpzNrg4 performed] by the Russian Red Army Choir
|-
| Le'ehov Im Efshar || [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Didi_Tera_Devar_Deewana दीदी तेरा देवर दीवाना] || Hindi || Sister, Your Brother-in-Law is Crazy || Dev Kohli / Raamlaxman || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V56f0xZNqw performed] in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hum_Aapke_Hain_Koun..! ''Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!'']
|-
| Lech L'Sfat HaYam || [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puttin%27_On_the_Ritz Puttin' On the Ritz] || English || || Irving Berlin || [https://vimeo.com/261408052 Astaire]; [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OG3PnQ3tgzY Taco]
|-
| Leylot Shel Ahava || Μίλησέ μου || Greek || Talk to Me || Nikos Gatsos / Manos Hatzidakis || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrcd8CumMeU sung by Nana Mouskouri] (with English subtitles), [http://www.greekmidi.com/songs/hatzidakis/milisemou.html lyrics]
|-
| Lu || Slave || French || Slavic || Jean-Marie Moreau / François Feldman || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjvExEjS3rU listen]; [http://www.lyricsbox.com/francois-feldman-slave-lyrics-2z9w31t.html lyrics]
|-
| Lu Yehi || [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_It_Be_(Beatles_song) Let It Be] || English || || Paul McCartney || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7P6X3IWLECY watch]
|-
| [[Mariposa]] || Έλα και πάμε || Greek || Come, Let's Go || Viki Gerothodorou / Dimitris Dekos || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ORqThYinHg sung] by Nikos Vertis; more info [[Mariposa | here]]
|-
| MeEver LaKeshet || Somewhere Over the Rainbow || English|| || Harold Arlen / Yip Harburg || [https://youtu.be/PSZxmZmBfnU performed] by Judy Garland
|-
| Meohav Al HaMirpesset || La dame en bleu || French || The Woman In Blue || [https://www.lesoleil.com/2014/06/01/lauteure-de-la-dame-en-bleu-nest-plus-2a120f16985ed2bca24903b420b29655/ Christine Charbonneau] / P. Yellowstone || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hN3fsTT7jbo Performed] by [https://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/article97319.html Michel Louvain]
|-
| MiGavo'a || [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/From_a_Distance From a Distance] || English || || Julie Gold || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLHE9jrb_N4 Performed] by Bette Midler
|-
| Nitzotz HaAhava || Οι δυ' πα στέλιο έζησα μ' || Greek || || || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE7kzHJmtLk Performed] by Stelios Kazantzidis and Chrysanthos Theodoridis
|-
| Numa Numa Hey || Dragostea Din Tei || Romanian || Love Under the [https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/linden/linden-tree-information.htm Linden Tree] || Dan Bălan || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnopHCL1Jk8 Official video] from O-Zone, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qj30XR3af2I with lyrics], [https://songmeanings.com/songs/view/3530822107858516831/ translation]
|-
| Od Nashuv || [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_to_Alaska_(song) North to Alaska] || English || || [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Horton Johnny Horton] || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLONWy46gIE Performed] by Johnny Horton
|-
| Ohevet Ozevet || Κραυγή || Greek || Scream || Nikos Karvelas || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCWLin-JsPk sung] by Anna Vissi
|-
| Perach Leyli || Capullito de Alelí || Spanish || Little Lily Bud || Rafael Hernández Marín || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYhF07e0Zws sung] by Guillermo Haidr; [https://www.letras.com/rafael-hernandez/1501795/translation.html lyrics and translation]
|-
| Pilpel U'Batatav || Дилмано дилберо (Dilmano Dilbero) || Bulgarian || Beautiful Dilmana || || [https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1096709334043037 performed] by Bulgarian Voices Berlin
|-
| Rafsoda || Ανάθεμά σε || Greek || Damn you || Yannis Kotsiras || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCnBCUhXlvo sung] by composer, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnBmAhypOw8 performed] by Nina Kallergi among many others
|-
| Regesh Me'urav || Borino Oro || (Balkan) || (instrumental) || Stefan Hantel (Shantel) || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOEg5PT6eMo listen]
|-
| Rikud Obsession || Obsesión || Spanish || Obsession || Aventura || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK6ZaRVRsXo listen] (click for lyrics)
|-
| Rikud HaYare'ach || [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moondance_(Van_Morrison_song) Moondance] || English || || [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Morrison Van Morrison] || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lFxGBB4UGU sung] by the composer
|-
| Rina || Сердце || Russian || The Heart || Vasily Levedev-Kumach/Isaac Dunaievsky || [https://youtu.be/VnaskPWH604 listen]
|-
| [[Rona]] || زحمة || Arabic || Crowded || Hassan Abu 'Atman / Hany Shanouda|| [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djqFU71juWM performed] by Ahmad 'Adaweyah; much more information [[Rona | here]]
|-
| Saper Al Ahava || Ποτέ, ποτέ, ποτέ || Greek || Never, Never, Never || Nikos Ignatiadis || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a70VdUrCki4 sung] by Giannis Parios and Eleni Dimou (incl. Greek lyrics)
|-
| Shalom Lach Eretz Nehederet || [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_New_Orleans_(song) City of New Orleans] || English || || [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Goodman Steve Goodman] || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvMS_ykiLiQ performed] by Arlo Guthrie
|-
| Shecharchoret || Morenica || Ladino || Little Dark Beauty || folk || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=tAm7tTISDCE&feature=emb_logo sung] by Mor Karbasi; [https://lyricstranslate.com/en/morenica-little-dark-beauty.html lyrics & translation]
|-
| Shir Al Etz (Al Haderech Etz Omed) || אויפֿן וועג שטייט אַ בוים || Yiddish || Song About a Tree (On the Road Stands a Tree) || Itzik Manger / Philip Laskowsky || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lj0FAhNKFCc perfomed] and [http://unspeakablethefilm.com/twostories.html stories of the poem]
|-
| Shir HaShayara || Τα παιδιά της άμυνας || Greek || Children of Defense || Nikos Gatsos / Stavros Xarchakos || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uny1DrIfgbo sung] by Nikos Dimitratos; [https://www.allthelyrics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36702 lyrics/translation]
|-
| [[Shir Megaresh et HaChoshech]] || გოგოვ შენ კი გენაცვალე || Georgian || You, Girl, My Beloved || Georgian folk
|| watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVZJfIWJMrE here]; more information and other versions [[Shir Megaresh et HaChoshech | here]]
|-
| Siman She'Ata Tsa'ir || Whiskey in the Jar || English || || Irish folk || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlWTASnnft4 listen]
|-
| Simlatech Hashzurah || Молодежная || Russian || Youth || Vasily Lebedev-Kumach / Isaac Dunaevsky || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56TD1yd71Ng listen] [https://youtu.be/BfUu9wMvypo?t=2738 performed] in 1938 Russian movie Volga-Volga
|-
| [[Sonata]] || Tango to Évora || (instrumental) || || Loreena McKennit || the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JedmQen0M50 original]; much more info [[Sonata|here]]
|-
| Susati Ve'Ani || Песня старого извозчика || Russian|| Old Coachman's song || Yaroslav Rodionov / Nikita Bogoslovsky, 1941 || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eon09y3YZhk listen]
|-
| Tchol HaMitpachat || Синий платочек || Russian|| The Blue Handerchief || Yakov Galitsky / Yezhy Peterburgsky || [https://youtu.be/pefW8euBLuM listen]
|-
| Tni Li (partner) || Ελένη || Greek || Eleni (girl's name) || Nikos Karvelas || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7IF_BU62Tc sung] by Anna Vissi; [http://www.stixoi.info/stixoi.php?info=Lyrics&act=details&song_id=4880 lyrics]
|-
| Todah || Ολα καλα || Greek || It's All Good || Stavros Kougioumtzis || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32aaDJOgtMo listen]
|-
| Tzel Midbar || Анатема || Serbian || Anathema || (instrumental) / Aleksandar "Sanja" Ilić || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLcu1yDfELQ listen]
|-
| [[VeShuv Itchem]] || Sev Kardeşim || Turkish|| Brotherly Love || Şenay Yüzbaşıoğlu / Nurit Hirsh || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5EJIJMhVfw sung] by Şenay (with lyrics); [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGKZ8Xho7Sg another version]; note that the original is Hebrew, so this is a "reverse" cover; [[VeShuv Itchem | more information]]
|-
| Yaldati (Pnei Malach) || Το τραγούδι μου || Greek || My Song || Stelios Fotiadis
| [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeWNXpU7lqs sung] by Glykeria; [http://larry.denenberg.com/Songs/yaldati-greek.pdf lyrics/translation]
|-
| Yam HaMishalot || Και πώς να κοιμηθώ || Greek || And How Will I Sleep? || Nikos Vaksevanelis / Vasilis Kelaidis || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHnjw5G4Isk sung] by Christos Pazis
|-
| Zingarella || Zingarela || French || (girl's name) || [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enrico_Macias Enrico Macias] || [https://lyricstranslate.com/en/enrico-macias-zingarela-lyrics.html lyrics]; [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMH2WasnZGU sung by Macias] on top of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gina_Lollobrigida Gina Lollobrigida] dancing in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunchback_of_Notre_Dame_(1956_film) The Hunchback of Notre Dame]
|-
| Ziv Zeh || Γίνεται || Greek || It's Possible || [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantelis_Pantelidis Pantelis Pantelidis] || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKY7IK8heQk sung] by Pantelidis; [https://lyricstranslate.com/en/ginetai-its-possible.html lyrics/translation]
|-
| Zman L'Chayech || Quiero Ser || Spanish || I Want to Be || Amaia Montero || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--7nGrJr4Yg Sung] by the artist (with Spanish lyrics)
|}

[[Category:Dances]]
[[Category:Dance Lists]]

Original Music

2026-07-27T14:09:36Z

Larry: Ani Eshtagea

Dances that are usually done to an adapted version of the music.

The adaptation is usually a Hebrew version of the lyrics set to
the original melody, sometimes a translation but often just similar-sounding words. Dances typically done to the original music aren't
listed here, even if the lyrics aren't in Hebrew.

Click any column header to sort the table by that column.



{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Dance Name !! Original Name !! Language !! Translation !! Lyricist / Composer !! Notes/Links
|-
| Adon Olam || La Femme de mon ami || French || My Friend's Wife || René Blanc, Jacques Demarny, Enrico Macias || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_7hL5XMCZU Sung by Enrico Macias]
|-
| Agadat HaSultan || Μέσ της πόλης τα στενά || Greek || Alleyways of Istanbul || Spyros Peristeris(?) / Giannis Papaioannou(?) || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRkMXTBGRf4 sung by Stella Haskil]; [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6V6KX9Mb4ho another version]
|-
| Ahava Asura || [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elle_%C3%A9tait_si_jolie Elle était si jolie] || French || She Was So Pretty || [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alain_Barri%C3%A8re Alain Barrière] || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoZb0_fzs3s watch] (The melody is also the original tune for [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO4ygYgjh2c Ha'Ir Be'Afor]; more info [[Ha'Ir Be'Afor | here]].)
|-
| Ahava Atzuma || [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L'amour_est_bleu L'amour est bleu] || French || Love is Blue || Pierre Cour / [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9_Popp André Charles Jean Popp] || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD4ib9-laGY Sung] by Greek-born [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicky_Leandros Vicky Leandros], taking 4th place for Luxembourg in the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurovision_Song_Contest_1967 1976 Eurovision Song Contest] in Vienna
|-
| Al Titni Lo || El Camino || Spanish || The Road || [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gipsy_Kings Gipsy Kings] || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0A9KU-xBEY watch]
|-
| Amru Lo || Azzurro || Italian || Blue || Paolo Conte & Vito Pallavicini / Paolo Conte & Michele Virano || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1VGoKBKR3I sung] by Adriano Celentano
|-
| Ani Bach Shavui || Πάω απόψε να τρελαθώ || Greek || I'm Going To Go Crazy Tonight || Kosmas / Savvas Iliadis|| [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkHNNm_h0vo sung] by Giorgos Giannias; [http://www.greeklyrics.gr/lyrics/view/3252/paw-apopse-na-trelathw lyrics]
|-
| Ani Chozer HaBayta || Lasciatemi Cantare || Italian || Let Me Sing || Toto Cutugno || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-4RLPSwNtc performed] by the composer; [https://lyricstranslate.com/en/Toto-Cutugno-L%E2%80%99italiano-lyrics.html lyrics] (with translations)
|-
| Ani Eshtage'a || La Partida || Spanish || The Party || Carlos Bonnet || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M-I6dCMHg8 Performed] by Carmela (Carmen Requeta Dideo)
|-
| [[At Li Paris]] || Africa || Italian || Africa || Salvatore "Toto" Cutugno et. al. || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7191wBlMbg performed] by Toto Cutugno; more information [[At Li Paris | here]]
|-
| At Oti Shofetet || Άντε Γεια || Greek || Goodbye || Panos Falaras / Kostas Miliotakis || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFY_drG-XfA performed] by Kaiti Garbi; [https://kithara.to/stixoi/MTQ2NDQyOTcw/ante-geia-garmpi-kaiti-lyrics Greek lyrics]
|-
| BaAviv At Tashuvi Chazara || Au printemps tu reviendras || French || In the Spring, You Will Return || Charles Aznavour || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjRBmHlgEig listen]
|-
| BaChof Shel Trapatoni || Μια νύχτα μόνο δεν φτάνει || Greek || Just One Night is Not Enough || Sotis Volanis & Panos Kamelis || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3v4GcrgVp1c sung] by Sotis Volanis
|-
| [[BeSof Ma'agal]] || At the End of the Circle || English || || Kenny Young || more information [[BeSof Ma'agal|here]]
|-
| [[Chad Gadya]] || Alla Fiera dell'Est || Italian || At the Eastern Fair || Luisa Zappa / Angelo Branduardi
| [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP2gqdGf1qU performed] by Branduardi; [[Chad Gadya|''more info'']]
|-
| Chalom O Shnayim || Τα Παιδιά του Πειραιά || Greek || The Children of Piraeus || Manos Hadjidakis || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28EAWlOXrYs performed by Melina Mercouri]. The song [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Never_on_Sunday_(song) Never on Sunday] also uses this music.
|-
| Chalon Mashkif || زَينة / عزيزة || Arabic || Zeina / Aziza || Mohammed Abdel Wahad || [https://youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=sBFnM2gh1qo&t=1m35s Listen to Zeina] [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vuFYi6mu-Ns&t=25s Listen to Aziza]
|-
| Cheruti || Libertà || Italian || Freedom || Albano Carrisi & Romina Power || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CreqEL1p24 sung] (lyric subtitles) by Al Bano & Romina
|-
| El Elohei Shamayim || Ένα το χελιδόνι || Greek || One Single Swallow || Mikis Theodorakis || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9KLSwhr9E4 sung] by Gregory Bithikotsis; [https://lyricstranslate.com/en/%CE%AD%CE%BD%CE%B1-%CF%84%CE%BF-%CF%87%CE%B5%CE%BB%CE%B9%CE%B4%CF%8C%CE%BD%CE%B9-one-single-swallow.html lyrics/translation]
|-
| [[Gan Chorpi]] || Jardin d'hiver || French || Winter Garden || Benjamin Biolay & Keren Ann || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKyToxL31as sung] by Keren Ann; more info [[Gan Chorpi | here]]
|-
| HaAviv || Le printemps || French || The Spring|| Michel Fugain & Le Big Bazar || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6O3bM4MtVc watch]
|-
| HaShoshana Porachat || Los Bilbilicos (La Rosa Enflorese) || Ladino || The Little Nightingales || folk || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiqHqp0ZVr8 sung]; Also in English [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHNSAK-iWy0 The Swallow] by Richard Fariña
|-
| Ilu Tsiporim || Si tous les oiseaux || French || If All the Birds || Jean Broussolle / Jean-Pierre Calvet || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QcRHPTx4VQ listen]; [https://www.paroles-musique.com/paroles-Les-Compagnons-De-La-Chanson-Si-Tous-Les-Oiseaux-lyrics,p18681 lyrics]
|-
| Irisim || Γύρισε || Greek || Come Back! || Nikos Fatseas / Giannis Vella || Performed by [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZL2EXhZGh8 Nikos Gounaris], by [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWDFFxKsemE Stella Greca] and by duet [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1kzD4qYxc0 Ofra Haza and Glykeria]; [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdPpEFEjF_4 lyrics]
|-
| Isha Al HaChof || Τώρα που πας στην ξενιτιά || Greek || Now You Go to Foreign Lands || Nikos Gatsos / Manos Hadjidakis || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07T9zcpFD-A sung] by Nana Mouskouri
|-
| Kachol || Far From Home || English || || (instrumental) / folk (Shetlands?) || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GnC0GUDPgs listen]
|-
| Keshenavo || Τι θέλεις, γέρο; || Greek || What Do You Want, Old Man? || Giorgos Kalamariotis / Argyris Kounadis
| [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5srFXu-fXk sung] by Rena Koumiwti
|-
| Ksheyavo Shalom || When the Saints Go Marching In || English || || Folk / Christian hymn || Many recordings starting 1923, including a jazz version by Louis Armstrong in 1938. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_the_Saints_Go_Marching_In more information]
|-
| Kmo SheAt || [https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comme_toi_(chanson_de_Jean-Jacques_Goldman) Comme toi] || French || Like You || [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Jacques_Goldman Jean-Jacques Goldman] || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySZBnMukO8g performed] by the artist; [http://lyricstranslate.com/en/comme-toi-just-you.html lyrics] (with translation)
|-
| Kmo Sira Trufa || Μετανιώνω || Greek || I Regret || Natalia Germanou / [https://www.facebook.com/pg/tonykontaxakismusic/about/ Tony Kontaxakis] || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL2THxQaS0Q sung] by Despina Vandi
|-
| Kulanu BaMitzad || В Путь! || Russian || Let's Go! || Mikhail Dudin / Vasily Solovyov-Sedoi || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jqOGpzNrg4 performed] by the Russian Red Army Choir
|-
| Le'ehov Im Efshar || [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Didi_Tera_Devar_Deewana दीदी तेरा देवर दीवाना] || Hindi || Sister, Your Brother-in-Law is Crazy || Dev Kohli / Raamlaxman || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V56f0xZNqw performed] in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hum_Aapke_Hain_Koun..! ''Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!'']
|-
| Lech L'Sfat HaYam || [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puttin%27_On_the_Ritz Puttin' On the Ritz] || English || || Irving Berlin || [https://vimeo.com/261408052 Astaire]; [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OG3PnQ3tgzY Taco]
|-
| Leylot Shel Ahava || Μίλησέ μου || Greek || Talk to Me || Nikos Gatsos / Manos Hatzidakis || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrcd8CumMeU sung by Nana Mouskouri] (with English subtitles), [http://www.greekmidi.com/songs/hatzidakis/milisemou.html lyrics]
|-
| Lu || Slave || French || Slavic || Jean-Marie Moreau / François Feldman || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjvExEjS3rU listen]; [http://www.lyricsbox.com/francois-feldman-slave-lyrics-2z9w31t.html lyrics]
|-
| Lu Yehi || [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_It_Be_(Beatles_song) Let It Be] || English || || Paul McCartney || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7P6X3IWLECY watch]
|-
| [[Mariposa]] || Έλα και πάμε || Greek || Come, Let's Go || Viki Gerothodorou / Dimitris Dekos || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ORqThYinHg sung] by Nikos Vertis; more info [[Mariposa | here]]
|-
| MeEver LaKeshet || Somewhere Over the Rainbow || English|| || Harold Arlen / Yip Harburg || [https://youtu.be/PSZxmZmBfnU performed] by Judy Garland
|-
| Meohav Al HaMirpesset || La dame en bleu || French || The Woman In Blue || [https://www.lesoleil.com/2014/06/01/lauteure-de-la-dame-en-bleu-nest-plus-2a120f16985ed2bca24903b420b29655/ Christine Charbonneau] / P. Yellowstone || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hN3fsTT7jbo Performed] by [https://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/article97319.html Michel Louvain]
|-
| MiGavo'a || [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/From_a_Distance From a Distance] || English || || Julie Gold || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLHE9jrb_N4 Performed] by Bette Midler
|-
| Nitzotz HaAhava || Οι δυ' πα στέλιο έζησα μ' || Greek || || || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE7kzHJmtLk Performed] by Stelios Kazantzidis and Chrysanthos Theodoridis
|-
| Numa Numa Hey || Dragostea Din Tei || Romanian || Love Under the [https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/linden/linden-tree-information.htm Linden Tree] || Dan Bălan || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnopHCL1Jk8 Official video] from O-Zone, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qj30XR3af2I with lyrics], [https://songmeanings.com/songs/view/3530822107858516831/ translation]
|-
| Od Nashuv || [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_to_Alaska_(song) North to Alaska] || English || || [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Horton Johnny Horton] || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLONWy46gIE Performed] by Johnny Horton
|-
| Ohevet Ozevet || Κραυγή || Greek || Scream || Nikos Karvelas || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCWLin-JsPk sung] by Anna Vissi
|-
| Perach Leyli || Capullito de Alelí || Spanish || Little Lily Bud || Rafael Hernández Marín || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYhF07e0Zws sung] by Guillermo Haidr; [https://www.letras.com/rafael-hernandez/1501795/translation.html lyrics and translation]
|-
| Pilpel U'Batatav || Дилмано дилберо (Dilmano Dilbero) || Bulgarian || Beautiful Dilmana || || [https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1096709334043037 performed] by Bulgarian Voices Berlin
|-
| Rafsoda || Ανάθεμά σε || Greek || Damn you || Yannis Kotsiras || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCnBCUhXlvo sung] by composer, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnBmAhypOw8 performed] by Nina Kallergi among many others
|-
| Regesh Me'urav || Borino Oro || (Balkan) || (instrumental) || Stefan Hantel (Shantel) || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOEg5PT6eMo listen]
|-
| Rikud Obsession || Obsesión || Spanish || Obsession || Aventura || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK6ZaRVRsXo listen] (click for lyrics)
|-
| Rikud HaYare'ach || [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moondance_(Van_Morrison_song) Moondance] || English || || [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Morrison Van Morrison] || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lFxGBB4UGU sung] by the composer
|-
| Rina || Сердце || Russian || The Heart || Vasily Levedev-Kumach/Isaac Dunaievsky || [https://youtu.be/VnaskPWH604 listen]
|-
| [[Rona]] || زحمة || Arabic || Crowded || Hassan Abu 'Atman / Hany Shanouda|| [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djqFU71juWM performed] by Ahmad 'Adaweyah; much more information [[Rona | here]]
|-
| Saper Al Ahava || Ποτέ, ποτέ, ποτέ || Greek || Never, Never, Never || Nikos Ignatiadis || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a70VdUrCki4 sung] by Giannis Parios and Eleni Dimou (incl. Greek lyrics)
|-
| Shalom Lach Eretz Nehederet || [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_New_Orleans_(song) City of New Orleans] || English || || [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Goodman Steve Goodman] || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvMS_ykiLiQ performed] by Arlo Guthrie
|-
| Shecharchoret || Morenica || Ladino || Little Dark Beauty || folk || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=tAm7tTISDCE&feature=emb_logo sung] by Mor Karbasi; [https://lyricstranslate.com/en/morenica-little-dark-beauty.html lyrics & translation]
|-
| Shir Al Etz (Al Haderech Etz Omed) || אויפֿן וועג שטייט אַ בוים || Yiddish || Song About a Tree (On the Road Stands a Tree) || Itzik Manger / Philip Laskowsky || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lj0FAhNKFCc perfomed] and [http://unspeakablethefilm.com/twostories.html stories of the poem]
|-
| Shir HaShayara || Τα παιδιά της άμυνας || Greek || Children of Defense || Nikos Gatsos / Stavros Xarchakos || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uny1DrIfgbo sung] by Nikos Dimitratos; [https://www.allthelyrics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36702 lyrics/translation]
|-
| [[Shir Megaresh et HaChoshech]] || გოგოვ შენ კი გენაცვალე || Georgian || You, Girl, My Beloved || Georgian folk
|| watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVZJfIWJMrE here]; more information and other versions [[Shir Megaresh et HaChoshech | here]]
|-
| Siman She'Ata Tsa'ir || Whiskey in the Jar || English || || Irish folk || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlWTASnnft4 listen]
|-
| Simlatech Hashzurah || Молодежная || Russian || Youth || Vasily Lebedev-Kumach / Isaac Dunaevsky || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56TD1yd71Ng listen] [https://youtu.be/BfUu9wMvypo?t=2738 performed] in 1938 Russian movie Volga-Volga
|-
| [[Sonata]] || Tango to Évora || (instrumental) || || Loreena McKennit || the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JedmQen0M50 original]; much more info [[Sonata|here]]
|-
| Susati Ve'Ani || Песня старого извозчика || Russian|| Old Coachman's song || Yaroslav Rodionov / Nikita Bogoslovsky, 1941 || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eon09y3YZhk listen]
|-
| Tchol HaMitpachat || Синий платочек || Russian|| The Blue Handerchief || Yakov Galitsky / Yezhy Peterburgsky || [https://youtu.be/pefW8euBLuM listen]
|-
| Tni Li (partner) || Ελένη || Greek || Eleni (girl's name) || Nikos Karvelas || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7IF_BU62Tc sung] by Anna Vissi; [http://www.stixoi.info/stixoi.php?info=Lyrics&act=details&song_id=4880 lyrics]
|-
| Todah || Ολα καλα || Greek || It's All Good || Stavros Kougioumtzis || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32aaDJOgtMo listen]
|-
| Tzel Midbar || Анатема || Serbian || Anathema || (instrumental) / Aleksandar "Sanja" Ilić || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLcu1yDfELQ listen]
|-
| [[VeShuv Itchem]] || Sev Kardeşim || Turkish|| Brotherly Love || Şenay Yüzbaşıoğlu / Nurit Hirsh || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5EJIJMhVfw sung] by Şenay (with lyrics); [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGKZ8Xho7Sg another version]; note that the original is Hebrew, so this is a "reverse" cover; [[VeShuv Itchem | more information]]
|-
| Yaldati (Pnei Malach) || Το τραγούδι μου || Greek || My Song || Stelios Fotiadis
| [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeWNXpU7lqs sung] by Glykeria; [http://larry.denenberg.com/Songs/yaldati-greek.pdf lyrics/translation]
|-
| Yam HaMishalot || Και πώς να κοιμηθώ || Greek || And How Will I Sleep? || Nikos Vaksevanelis / Vasilis Kelaidis || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHnjw5G4Isk sung] by Christos Pazis
|-
| Zingarella || Zingarela || French || (girl's name) || [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enrico_Macias Enrico Macias] || [https://lyricstranslate.com/en/enrico-macias-zingarela-lyrics.html lyrics]; [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMH2WasnZGU sung by Macias] on top of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gina_Lollobrigida Gina Lollobrigida] dancing in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunchback_of_Notre_Dame_(1956_film) The Hunchback of Notre Dame]
|-
| Ziv Zeh || Γίνεται || Greek || It's Possible || [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantelis_Pantelidis Pantelis Pantelidis] || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKY7IK8heQk sung] by Pantelidis; [https://lyricstranslate.com/en/ginetai-its-possible.html lyrics/translation]
|-
| Zman L'Chayech || Quiero Ser || Spanish || I Want to Be || Amaia Montero || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--7nGrJr4Yg Sung] by the artist (with Spanish lyrics)
|}

[[Category:Dances]]
[[Category:Dance Lists]]

Shir HaHaflaga

2026-07-26T21:06:46Z

Larry: Goldberg is on 100-sheqel bill

Hebrew: שיר ההפלגה. Song of Sailing

Dance by [[Shmulik Gov-Ari]]. Although the dance is only of medium
difficulty, the way that the figures of the dance fit the music is
quite complicated.

The complexity starts with the music itself, which was composed by
Alexander (Sasha) Argov (סשה ארגוב), composer of Kayits Al Ha'Ir, Teivat
HaZimra, Lech LaMidbar, and many others. Argov is "known for being
extremely sensitive to lyrics, both their meaning and their rhythm. . . .
In complex songs like Argov's, there is likely to be some interesting
tension between the poetic and musical meter."<ref>Naftali Wagner,
''Prosody Transforms Into Music'', Mossad Bialik, 2005</ref>

The choreographer extends Argov's technique to the dance, whose
comparatively regular figures mask the meter of the music, leading to a
striking entanglement.

=== The Music and the Dance ===

The introduction consists of three-count measures, two phrases of four
measures each. The second phrase starts with the singers voicing "Mandolina
Mandolina" for four counts. Some dancers count to eight
immediately thereafter in order to start the dance correctly (4+8=12),
obscuring the music's meter.

Following the intro, the song consists of eight phrases, having successively 10, 12, 9, 11, 13,
12, 13, and 12 counts.

How does the dance set down against this music? Recall the sections of
the dance, lightly sketched:

* I.A: Right hop, cross, etc., ending with "hoo-hah": 10 counts
* I.B: Two mayims, followed by pas de basques R-2-3 and L-2-3: 12 counts
* Repeat I.A: 10 counts
* Repeat I.B, except that instead of the pas de basques just rock back, forward: 10 counts

Part I has 22 counts, 10+12. The first time through, this fits exactly the first
two phrases of the music, also 10+12.

The repetition of Part I is done to the third and fourth phrases of music, which also
total 20 counts. But this 20 is 9+11, so we start with 10 counts of dance
against a 9-count musical phrase. If you listen carefully, you'll hear that
the first "hoo-hah" ends at the end of a phrase of music, but the second
"hoo-hah" encroaches one count into the following phrase.

The dance continues:

* II.A: Into the center with 2 cha-chas, both feet out, both together, lift R: 7 counts
* Repeat II.A, backing out of the center: 7 counts
* II.B: Two pas de basques followed by two mayims: 12 counts
* II.C: Rock back-forward, then go into the center, turn to face out: 8 counts
* Repeat II.C, coming out of the center: 8 counts
* II.D: Rock back-forward, then one and a half mayims: 8 counts

The total is 50 counts, the same as the music's 13+12+13+12. But the
sections of the dance do not line up with the music in any way. Again:
Listen carefully, and you'll hear the musical phrases starting a few counts
before or after the dance sections.

(It's possible to break up this part of the dance differently, putting each
rock back-forward at the end of a section instead of the beginning. But the
dance still won't line up with the music.)

=== Reference and Notes ===

<references/>

A [http://web.nli.org.il/sites/NLI/English/music/argov/Pages/Biography.aspx biography] of Sasha Argov.

The [http://shironet.mako.co.il/artist?type=lyrics&lang=1&wrkid=2967&prfid=688&song_title=48a4b lyrics] to Shir HaHaflaga are by the great poet and author
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leah_Goldberg Leah Goldberg], winner of the
Israel Prize and lyricist of Slichot, Mizmor Laila, Boi Kallah, and many
others. (Her image appears on the Israeli 100-sheqel bill.) A version of these lyrics was set to music by Akiva Nof; the dance done to
that tune is called Shlosha Tranim LaOniya (שלושה תרנים לאוניה) and was choreographed by Eli Ronen.

{{AussieDance|436}}

{{Rokdim|5abd2393db5332913c8b45dc|6609}}

{{Dancelists|[[Music vs Dance]] {{·}}   [[Unusual Meters]]}}

[[Category:Dances]]

Leyl Chanaya

2026-07-26T21:05:05Z

Larry: Alterman is on the 200-sheqel bill

__NOTOC__
Hebrew: ליל חניה (Night of Encampment; see below). Circle dance by [[Gadi Bitton]], 2001.

==== The Lyrics ====

The lyrics of the song come from a poem by Natan Alterman, winner of the Israel Prize for literature (and whose image appears on the Israeli 200-sheqel bill). The poem describes the night before a battle at Iraq Al-Manshiyya, a Palestinian Arab village that was replaced by Kiryat Gat. The battle took place in October 1948 as part of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Yoav Operation Yo'av]. The title of the poem (often foolishly mistranslated as "Night of Parking", as though the song describes events following a senior prom) refers to the army's encampment in readiness for that battle.

Alterman had enlisted in the IDF the previous July. He was already nationally known as a poet and was 38 years old, well beyond the age of conscription. He was a private during the battle, which did not go well. According to unconfirmed legend, after the battle his commander informed Ben Gurion of Alterman's participation, and Ben Gurion had Alterman removed from active combat lest the country lose its poet.

The poem is infinitely deep and complex, a series of images subject to contrasting interpretations. It has been analyzed repeatedly and from many viewpoints. Themes include the emotions of the soldiers, the nature of war, the condition of the army, how the commander prepares the soldiers for battle, how later generations will see the war. But this barely scratches the surface; much more is to be found via the links below (mostly in Hebrew, unfortunately).

==== The Music ====

Although the poem was probably written in the 40s and was first published in the 50s, it was not set to music until the 70s. Alterman was very selective about who would set his poems to music and approached composers himself with his requests. But he died in 1970 and at that point all bets were off.

The story goes that Yehoram Gaon called Ya'ir Rozenblum, already a respected composer, early in 1973, and asked if he had a song that he could submit to that year's [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_Song_Festival Festival HaZemer VeHaPizmon]. Rozenblum said yes, at which point Gaon asked which song? Rozenblum grabbed a book on his desk, "Ir Yona", a 1957 book of Alterman's poems, opened it at random to page 94 and replied "Leyl Chanaya". Only afterward did he ask himself "What have I done?" The structure of the poem, five-line stanzas with irregular number of feet per line, does not lend itself easily to musical composition. But Rozenblum managed it, with some rearrangement and turning one of the verses into a refrain, and the song won fourth place in that year's competition—a few months before the Yom Kippur War.

==== The Dance ====

The dance is unremarkable; its only noteworthy feature is the occurrence of a rare step: quick R-L in place open facing center, "planting" the body. One of the very few dances in which this step appears is Tuvia Tishler's [[Shkia V'ruda]], whose lyrics, coincidentally, are also by Alterman.

=== Links ===

[https://shironet.mako.co.il/artist?type=lyrics&lang=1&prfid=419&wrkid=1926 Hebrew lyrics] to the song

The [https://benyehuda.org/read/13095 original poem], for comparison

An [https://www.gavisho.com/%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%9C-%D7%97%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%94 article] on the story of Leyl Chanaya (Hebrew)

Extensive (and argumentative) [https://www.alterman.org.il/%D7%A7%D7%91%D7%95%D7%A6%D7%95%D7%AA%D7%94%D7%A4%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%9D/tabid/61/aff/1/aft/1/afv/topic/Default.aspx discussion] of the poem (in Hebrew), by blog commenters on Alterman's website

[https://blog.nli.org.il/alterman_night/ Another article] on "the story behind Leyl Chanaya"

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_al-Manshiyya Iraq al-Manshiyya] at Wikipedia, including maps

The Israeli [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_Alterman#/media/File:200_New_Sheqalim2015_Obverse_&_Reverse.png 200 NIS bill], on which Alterman is pictured

{{AussieRokdim |3929 |5abd23c5db5332cc3c8b456f}}

[[Category:Dances]]

Ahavat Itamar

2026-07-26T16:13:17Z

Larry: Remove info on which newspaper had his love letters, pending resolution of the mystery

Hebrew: אהבת איתמר (Itamar's Love). Circle dance by [[Sefi Aviv]], 1991.

The Itamar of the title is Itamar Ben-Avi, son of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliezer_Ben-Yehuda Eliezer Ben-Yehuda], the creator of the modern Hebrew language. Ben-Yehuda wanted his son to be called Eber, the great-great-great-great-grandfather of Abraham and the eponym of the word "Hebrew", but the mohel refused as the name wasn't used in their community. So Ben-Yehuda suggested "Itamar", the name that his wife Deborah preferred, but the mohel still wouldn't consent. Finally they used "Ben Tzion". But when Itamar grew up he changed his name to the one chosen by his mother. He also changed his last name to "Ben-Avi", since "Avi" means "my father" and is simultaneously an acronym for "Eliezer Ben-Yehuda".

When Itamar was 23 he met and fell in love with Leah Abushedid, who was 16 at the time. Her mother would not consent to their union; she came from a high-status Sephardic family, and Itamar was poor and Ashkenazi. Itamar responded by writing letters and poems to Leah, all of which were published in a newspaper.  As the couple became desperate, his writings began hinting of suicide, and Leah threatened that she would never marry anyone else (thus denying grandchildren to her mother). Eventually the families were brought to see reason and the wedding took place.

The song lyrics are '''not''' from a poem written by Itamar; they were written much later by Dudu Barak at the suggestion of Itamar's daughter Drora. It was set to music by [[Nurit Hirsh]] and first performed by Miri Aloni. The full name of the song is "Ahavat Itamar Ben Avi".

The dance was dedicated by Sefi to [[Menachem Menachem]], who had recently passed away. Moshiko's dance Yakir Menachem was dedicated to the same choreographer.

=== External Links ===

The song [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxYwS6zuxV4 performed] by Miri Aloni

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itamar_Ben-Avi Itamar Ben Avi] at Wikipedia (English)

[https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%9C%D7%90%D7%94_%D7%90%D7%91%D7%95%D7%A9%D7%93%D7%99%D7%93 Leah Abushedid] at Wikipedia (Hebrew)



The [https://lyricstranslate.com/en/miri-aloni-ahavat-itamar-ben-avi-transliteration lyrics] to Ahavat Itamar Ben Avi, with translation and transliteration

Ofer Gavish's [https://www.gavisho.com/%D7%90%D7%94%D7%91%D7%AA-%D7%90%D7%99%D7%AA%D7%9E%D7%A8-%D7%91%D7%9F-%D7%90%D7%91%D7%99 blog post] on the song with more stories (Hebrew)

{{AussieRokdim |215 |5abd2371db5332783c8b4592}}

[[Category:Dances]]

Ahavat Itamar

2026-07-26T15:46:12Z

Larry: Leah Abushedid at Wikipedia

Hebrew: אהבת איתמר (Itamar's Love). Circle dance by [[Sefi Aviv]], 1991.

The Itamar of the title is Itamar Ben-Avi, son of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliezer_Ben-Yehuda Eliezer Ben-Yehuda], the creator of the modern Hebrew language. Ben-Yehuda wanted his son to be called Eber, the great-great-great-great-grandfather of Abraham and the eponym of the word "Hebrew", but the mohel refused as the name wasn't used in their community. So Ben-Yehuda suggested "Itamar", the name that his wife Deborah preferred, but the mohel still wouldn't consent. Finally they used "Ben Tzion". But when Itamar grew up he changed his name to the one chosen by his mother. He also changed his last name to "Ben-Avi", since "Avi" means "my father" and is simultaneously an acronym for "Eliezer Ben-Yehuda".

When Itamar was 23 he met and fell in love with Leah Abushedid, who was 16 at the time. Her mother would not consent to their union; she came from a high-status Sephardic family, and Itamar was poor and Ashkenazi. Itamar responded by writing letters and poems to Leah, all of which were published in a newspaper, Do'ar HaYom. (This was easily arranged by Itamar, who was the editor of the newspaper!) As the couple became desperate, his writings began hinting of suicide, and Leah threatened that she would never marry anyone else (thus denying grandchildren to her mother). Eventually the families were brought to see reason and the wedding took place.

The song lyrics are '''not''' from a poem written by Itamar; they were written much later by Dudu Barak at the suggestion of Itamar's daughter Drora. It was set to music by [[Nurit Hirsh]] and first performed by Miri Aloni. The full name of the song is "Ahavat Itamar Ben Avi".

The dance was dedicated by Sefi to [[Menachem Menachem]], who had recently passed away. Moshiko's dance Yakir Menachem was dedicated to the same choreographer.

=== External Links ===

The song [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxYwS6zuxV4 performed] by Miri Aloni

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itamar_Ben-Avi Itamar Ben Avi] at Wikipedia (English)

[https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%9C%D7%90%D7%94_%D7%90%D7%91%D7%95%D7%A9%D7%93%D7%99%D7%93 Leah Abushedid] at Wikipedia (Hebrew)

[https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%94%D7%A6%D7%91%D7%99 HaZvi] (The Gazelle), Itamar's newspaper at the time of his "courtship", at Wikipedia (Hebrew)

The [https://lyricstranslate.com/en/miri-aloni-ahavat-itamar-ben-avi-transliteration lyrics] to Ahavat Itamar Ben Avi, with translation and transliteration

Ofer Gavish's [https://www.gavisho.com/%D7%90%D7%94%D7%91%D7%AA-%D7%90%D7%99%D7%AA%D7%9E%D7%A8-%D7%91%D7%9F-%D7%90%D7%91%D7%99 blog post] on the song with more stories (Hebrew)

{{AussieRokdim |215 |5abd2371db5332783c8b4592}}

[[Category:Dances]]

Ahavat Itamar

2026-07-26T15:38:53Z

Larry: Created page with "Hebrew: אהבת איתמר (Itamar's Love). Circle dance by Sefi Aviv, 1991. The Itamar of the title is Itamar Ben-Avi, son of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliezer_Ben-Yehuda Eliezer Ben-Yehuda], the creator of the modern Hebrew language. Ben-Yehuda wanted his son to be called Eber, the great-great-great-great-grandfather of Abraham and the eponym of the word "Hebrew", but the mohel refused as the name wasn't used in their community. So Ben-Yehuda suggested "Itam..."

Hebrew: אהבת איתמר (Itamar's Love). Circle dance by [[Sefi Aviv]], 1991.

The Itamar of the title is Itamar Ben-Avi, son of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliezer_Ben-Yehuda Eliezer Ben-Yehuda], the creator of the modern Hebrew language. Ben-Yehuda wanted his son to be called Eber, the great-great-great-great-grandfather of Abraham and the eponym of the word "Hebrew", but the mohel refused as the name wasn't used in their community. So Ben-Yehuda suggested "Itamar", the name that his wife Deborah preferred, but the mohel still wouldn't consent. Finally they used "Ben Tzion". But when Itamar grew up he changed his name to the one chosen by his mother. He also changed his last name to "Ben-Avi", since "Avi" means "my father" and is simultaneously an acronym for "Eliezer Ben-Yehuda".

When Itamar was 23 he met and fell in love with Leah Abushedid, who was 16 at the time. Her mother would not consent to their union; she came from a high-status Sephardic family, and Itamar was poor and Ashkenazi. Itamar responded by writing letters and poems to Leah, all of which were published in a newspaper, Do'ar HaYom. (This was easily arranged by Itamar, who was the editor of the newspaper!) As the couple became desperate, his writings began hinting of suicide, and Leah threatened that she would never marry anyone else (thus denying grandchildren to her mother). Eventually the families were brought to see reason and the wedding took place.

The song lyrics are '''not''' from a poem written by Itamar; they were written much later by Dudu Barak at the suggestion of Itamar's daughter Drora. It was set to music by [[Nurit Hirsh]] and first performed by Miri Aloni. The full name of the song is "Ahavat Itamar Ben Avi".

The dance was dedicated by Sefi to [[Menachem Menachem]], who had recently passed away. Moshiko's dance Yakir Menachem was dedicated to the same choreographer.

=== External Links ===

The song [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxYwS6zuxV4 performed] by Miri Aloni

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itamar_Ben-Avi Itamar Ben Avi] at Wikipedia (English)

[https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%94%D7%A6%D7%91%D7%99 HaZvi] (The Gazelle), Itamar's newspaper at the time of his "courtship", at Wikipedia (Hebrew)

The [https://lyricstranslate.com/en/miri-aloni-ahavat-itamar-ben-avi-transliteration lyrics] to Ahavat Itamar Ben Avi, with translation and transliteration

Ofer Gavish's [https://www.gavisho.com/%D7%90%D7%94%D7%91%D7%AA-%D7%90%D7%99%D7%AA%D7%9E%D7%A8-%D7%91%D7%9F-%D7%90%D7%91%D7%99 blog post] on the song with more stories (Hebrew)

{{AussieRokdim |215 |5abd2371db5332783c8b4592}}

[[Category:Dances]]

Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi

2026-07-21T03:46:19Z

Larry: wordsmithing

Hebrew: ידידי רועי מקימי (My Friend, My Shepard, My Support). Circle dance by [[Mitch Ginsburgh]], 2026.

Each element of this work is independently interesting. We take them one by one.

=== The Lyrics ===

The words were written by Rabbi Israel ben Moses Najara, who was born in Damascus in about 1555. He later moved to Safed, but after a pogrom there in 1579 his family moved to Gaza,
where Najara eventually succeeded his father as Chief Rabbi of Gaza (a position which is currently vacant).

Najara was among other things a liturgical poet. He wrote hymns, poems, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piyyut piyyutim], sermons, and commentary. His best-known work is [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ya_Ribon Yah Ribon Olam], sung by Jews of many traditions on Friday night.

This particular poem, Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi,
describes the yearning of the people of Israel for redemption and the glory of God as sheep yearning for their shepherd.
The allegory with sheep and shepherds is pervasive—indeed, every stanza ends with the word "tzoan" (sheep). As in Yah Ribon Olam, the first letters of the first five verses form an acrostic for Najara's first name. There is also a lovely connection with the Tanach: the end of the first stanza is "עַל מִי נָטַשְׁתָּ מְעַט הַצֹּאן" ("with whom have you left those few sheep [in the wilderness]?"). These are the exact words of Eliav, oldest brother of David, upbraiding David for abandoning his post as shepherd to battle Goliath (1 Samuel 17:28). Similar allusions are rife in Najara's works.

(Not everyone was a fan of Najara. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayyim_ben_Joseph_Vital Hayyim Vital], a contemporary and a Kabbalist, accused Najara of using foul language, drunkenness, homosexuality, and having sexual relations with non-Jewish women. It's hard to take these denunciations seriously since Vital based them on mystic revelations rather than on fact. Najara was also criticized for poetry describing God and Israel as a married couple.<ref>But there is a longstanding tradition of the sexuality metaphor, especially in the Song of Songs; explanation [https://larry.denenberg.com/song-of-songs.txt here].</ref>)

=== The Music ===

The tune we dance to is a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baqashot baqasha], a song sung in some Sephardic Jewish communities on Shabbat morning before dawn, especially in winter when the dawn comes late. The order and structure of the baqashot can be extremely complex. This particular baqasha comes from the Moroccan sequence, which was heavily influenced by Najara. In that tradition each baqasha is associated with a particular parsha of the Torah; the melody for this dance is the Moroccan baqasha for parshat Vayeira (Genesis 18:1–22:24, including the Akedah). The melodies are taken from Andalusian classical music and popular Arabic tunes, transmitted orally with no specific known composer.

Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi is also sung in Lubavitch communities to a completely different tune that has its own interesting story.<ref>[https://www.soulwords.org/video/yedidi/ This commentary] on the song by Rabbi Shais Taub includes discussion and performance of the Lubavitch tune.</ref>

The meter of the tune is [[Unusual Meters | unusual]], as is common in the Moroccan tradition of baqashot. It consists of two measures of three beats followed by four measures of two beats: 3-3-2-2-2-2. The recording we dance to is performed by Yigal Haroush, from his album A'ira Shachar ("I Will Awaken Dawn"), a collection of Moroccan baqashot. In the original, the meter of the intro is different; it's 3-3-2-2-2 until the singer enters; similarly, the meter of the outro is 3-3-2-2-2 once the singing ends. In the recording we dance to, Mitch has made the meter uniform by changing both to 3-3-2-2-2-2, though it's ''very'' hard to hear in the outro.
Mitch says:
<blockquote>
The “hook” for me that led me to go forward with the dance was the
unusual rhythm itself, as I knew it would feel like learning a new
rhythmic language. Like in my 5 months learning Spanish, each part/bit
gets a little more complex, with the 5th part putting together many of
the elements found in the previous 4 until you get to the ultimate
challenge of the outro: having to internalize the rhythm and not rely
on clear musical cues, just as a language learner must learn to
produce language on their own outside of the controlled classroom
environment.<ref>Personal communication, 9 June 2026</ref>
</blockquote>

=== The Dance ===

The dance consists of five parts, which Mitch calls "bits"<ref>Mitch says: "If I had opened the teach saying that the dance has 5 “parts,” most of the dancers would’ve left the floor right then and there." (Personal communication, 9 June 2026)</ref>
rather than "sections" or "parts". The entire sequence repeats twice and then ends with the second bit in the third repetition.

=== Footnotes ===

<references/>

=== Links ===

The original: Yigal Haroush [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOhhOxzi-bY singing] Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi (includes Hebrew lyrics)

The entire album [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD7TmVj9_9c&list=OLAK5uy_m6i29rGWurRB9AmbPINu05i7Z9EKwkQ_g A'irah Shachar], including other Moroccan baqashot (like Yedid Nefesh) for awakening dawn, in unusual meters

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_ben_Moses_Najara Rabbi Israel ben Moses Najara] at Wikipedia (English)

The [https://mechon-mamre.org/i/t/t08a17.htm# first book of Samuel, chapter 17] (Hebrew)

{{AussieRokdim |11788 |69fdb7b1fc4cd15a4ece4391}}

{{Dancelists|[[Unusual Meters]]}}

[[Category:Dances]]

__NOTOC__

Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi

2026-07-17T00:53:45Z

Larry: typo

Hebrew: ידידי רועי מקימי (My Friend, My Shepard, My Support). Circle dance by [[Mitch Ginsburgh]], 2026.

Each element of this work is independently interesting. We take them one by one.

=== The Lyrics ===

The words were written by Rabbi Israel ben Moses Najara, who was born in Damascus in about 1555. He later moved to Safed, but after a pogrom there in 1579 his family moved to Gaza,
where Najara eventually succeeded his father as Chief Rabbi of Gaza (a position which is currently vacant).

Najara was among other things a liturgical poet. He wrote hymns, poems, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piyyut piyyutim], sermons, and commentary. His best-known work is [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ya_Ribon Yah Ribon Olam], sung by Jews of many traditions on Friday night.

This particular poem, Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi,
describes the yearning of the people of Israel for redemption and the glory of God as sheep yearning for their shepherd.
The allegory with sheep and shepherds is pervasive—indeed, every stanza ends with the word "tzoan" (sheep). As in Yah Ribon Olam, the first letters of the first five verses form an acrostic for Najara's first name. There is also a lovely connection with the Tanach: the end of the first stanza is "עַל מִי נָטַשְׁתָּ מְעַט הַצֹּאן" ("with whom have you left those few sheep [in the wilderness]?"). These are the exact words of Eliav, oldest brother of David, upbraiding David for abandoning his post as shepherd to battle Goliath (1 Samuel 17:28). Similar allusions are rife in Najara's works.

(Not everyone was a fan of Najara. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayyim_ben_Joseph_Vital Hayyim Vital], a contemporary and a Kabbalist, accused Najara of using foul language, drunkenness, homosexuality, and having sexual relations with non-Jewish women. It's hard to take these denunciations seriously since Vital based them on mystic revelations rather than on fact. Najara was also criticized for poetry describing God and Israel as a married couple.<ref>But there is a longstanding tradition of the sexuality metaphor, especially in the Song of Songs; explanation [https://larry.denenberg.com/song-of-songs.txt here].</ref>)

=== The Music ===

The tune we dance to is a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baqashot baqasha], a song sung in some Sephardic Jewish communities on Shabbat morning before dawn, especially in winter when the dawn comes late. The order and structure of the baqashot can be extremely complex. This particular baqasha comes from the Moroccan sequence, which was heavily influenced by Najara. In that tradition each baqasha is associated with a particular parsha of the Torah. The melodies are taken from Andalusian classical music and popular Arabic tunes, transmitted orally with no specific known composer. The melody for this dance is the Moroccan baqasha for parshat Vayeira (Genesis 18:1–22:24, including the Akeda).

Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi is also sung in Lubavitch communities to a completely different tune that has its own interesting story.<ref>[https://www.soulwords.org/video/yedidi/ This commentary] on the song by Rabbi Shais Taub includes discussion and performance of the Lubavitch tune.</ref>

The meter of the tune is [[Unusual Meters | unusual]], as is common in the Moroccan tradition of baqashot. It consists of two measures of three beats followed by four measures of two beats: 3-3-2-2-2-2. The recording we dance to is performed by Yigal Haroush, from his album A'ira Shachar ("I Will Awaken Dawn"), a collection of Moroccan baqashot. In the original, the meter of the intro is different; it's 3-3-2-2-2 until the singer enters; similarly, the meter of the outro is 3-3-2-2-2 once the singing ends. In the recording we dance to, Mitch has made the meter uniform by changing both to 3-3-2-2-2-2, though it's ''very'' hard to hear in the outro.
Mitch says:
<blockquote>
The “hook” for me that led me to go forward with the dance was the
unusual rhythm itself, as I knew it would feel like learning a new
rhythmic language. Like in my 5 months learning Spanish, each part/bit
gets a little more complex, with the 5th part putting together many of
the elements found in the previous 4 until you get to the ultimate
challenge of the outro: having to internalize the rhythm and not rely
on clear musical cues, just as a language learner must learn to
produce language on their own outside of the controlled classroom
environment.<ref>Personal communication, 9 June 2026</ref>
</blockquote>

=== The Dance ===

The dance consists of five parts, which Mitch calls "bits"<ref>Mitch says: "If I had opened the teach saying that the dance has 5 “parts,” most of the dancers would’ve left the floor right then and there." (Personal communication, 9 June 2026)</ref>
rather than "sections" or "parts". The entire sequence repeats twice and then ends with the second bit in the third repetition.

=== Footnotes ===

<references/>

=== Links ===

The original: Yigal Haroush [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOhhOxzi-bY singing] Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi (includes Hebrew lyrics)

The entire album [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD7TmVj9_9c&list=OLAK5uy_m6i29rGWurRB9AmbPINu05i7Z9EKwkQ_g A'irah Shachar], including other Moroccan baqashot (like Yedid Nefesh) for awakening dawn, in unusual meters

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_ben_Moses_Najara Rabbi Israel ben Moses Najara] at Wikipedia (English)

The [https://mechon-mamre.org/i/t/t08a17.htm# first book of Samuel, chapter 17] (Hebrew)

{{AussieRokdim |11788 |69fdb7b1fc4cd15a4ece4391}}

{{Dancelists|[[Unusual Meters]]}}

[[Category:Dances]]

__NOTOC__

Dawdahiya

2026-07-02T17:59:35Z

Larry: updated Wagner citation

Arabic: دودحية (girl of the Dawdahi). Often incorrectly written "Daw Da Hiya", probably because
the word is broken up that way in Arabic, where certain letters do not connect
within a word. Circle dance by [[Israel Yakovee]], 1992.

The song has its roots in a true story that took place in Yemen in March,
1938. The following is a condensed account from one source; see the
Notes for details.

<blockquote>

A wealthy Muslim landowner known only as "the Dawdaḥī” lived in a village
due east of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibb Ibb]. Despite his wealth he
was humble in his comportment and righteous to boot.

The Dawdaḥī had four daughters and the eldest had been designated the
future bride of his brother’s son as a means of keeping the family fortune
intact. The boy did not want to marry her. His family pressured him, but he
stood firm in his rebellion. Meanwhile the girls all reached maturity. Many
suitors asked for their hands but as long as the eldest was not married to
her cousin, the Dawdaḥī would entertain no offers. The eldest daughter, who
saw that she was being used as a football, decided to get vengeance on the
lot of them. She allowed herself to get pregnant through premarital sex.

The authorities were alerted to her pregnancy. The judge in al-Nādira,
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdul_Rahman_al-Eryani ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Iryānī] (later president of Yemen,
and at one time [https://web.archive.org/web/20141028123052/http://www.yemenonline.info/news-926.html falsely reported]
to be Jewish!), sent soldiers to the village to
apprehend the woman and her paramour. In court she stated that the father
was none other than her cousin. In doing so she and her father wanted to
force the stubborn boy to marry her. However, he denied his paternity. The
judge ordered the two to undergo a public shaming ceremony. The two were bound together with a single chain, large
drums were mounted on each of their backs and group of soldiers beat the
drums and paraded them around the town while onlookers hurled insults at
them. The boy’s father happened to be in al-Nādira. When he heard the
drumbeats approaching and realized that his son and niece were being
publicly shamed, he had a heart attack and died. The Dawdaḥī died a few
months later. Songs about the “Dawdaḥīya” (“the Dawdaḥī girl”) spread
throughout Yemen.[2]

</blockquote>

The song used for Yakovee's dance is by [[Ofra Haza]] and
Bezalel Aloni, lyrics by those two and Grant Morris, and appears on her
1992 album [https://www.discogs.com/Ofra-Haza-Kirya/release/1183754 Kirya].
Note that despite the song lyrics, nothing close to capital punishment was
imposed. Also, 1938 is hardly "ancient times"; the judge was in fact still
alive when the dance was created!

Translation of the Arabic portion of the Ofra Haza song:

<poem>
::::You won’t do any more whoring, nor will you ever enjoy the pleasure of sex.
::::O Dawdaḥīya, your honey has been licked up,
::::Dawdaḥīya
::::He took my heart and left.
::::He took my heart and left.
::::Now like mud
::::That has been stomped upon.

::::Better death, better death, than a life of shame.
::::Go put on perfume, go put on perfume, O Dawdaḥīya.
::::They paraded you shamefully into [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadi_Bana Wadi Banā].
::::Now all of us mourn you.[2]
</poem>

=== The Choreography ===

Ofra Haza and Bezalel Aloni (co-author of the lyrics and music) came to Los Angeles to record [https://www.discogs.com/release/1183754-Ofra-Haza-Kirya Kirya], the album containing Dawdahiya. They knew of Israel Yakovee and his work; he had choreographed other dances ([[Achot Lanu Ktana]], [[Agadelcha]], etc.) to tracks from her earlier albums. They asked him to promote the album by making a dance to Dawdahiya, which he did; the dance was introduced at [[Hora Keff]]. He later created dances to other cuts from Kirya, including Galbi.

When Yakovee choreographed the dance, he didn't understand that the heroine was stoned to death for being pregnant; he was not familiar with the euphemism "with child" until it was explained to him by his wife Michele.

Yakovee's visualization of the song is a snake in the desert. In the first part of the dance, the dancers' legs move along the line in the zigzag movement of a snake. The whole dance is structure as a snake moving along, low and slow.<ref>Personal interview with Yakovee, 10/13/2021.</ref>

=== Reference and Notes ===

<references/>

        2. This material is taken from:

<blockquote>

[https://lsu.edu/hss/wllc/faculty/Faculty_Pages/wagner.php Mark S. Wagner], “A Murder Ballad between Yemen and Israel:
The Mystery of the Dawdaḥī Girl,” in [https://www.pennpress.org/9781512827118/longing-and-belonging/ ''Longing and Belonging: Jews in the Modern Islamic World''], ed. Nancy Berg and Dina Danon (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2025)

</blockquote>

and is used by permission. Unlike most HoraWiki content, it does
'''''not''''' fall under the [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ Creative Commons ShareAlike]
license and '''''may not''''' be reused; the
copyright remains the property of Dr. Wagner. See [[HoraWiki:Copyright]] for
further details of licensing and copyright.

Wagner's paper contains much more on the Dawdahiya story, including
versions from other sources, description of the story's spread,
and text of other songs written about the tale. He also develops a fascinating connection between the story of the
Dawdahi girl and the life of Ofra Haza herself, introducing his analysis
thus: "Haza’s death in 2000 of AIDS-related organ failure might be seen as an echo of the tragedy of the
Dawdaḥī girl in several ways."

=== External Links ===

The [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ibb,+Yemen/@13.9727128,44.1500824,14z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x161ce965295549bb:0x175d4cebb3c8c622!8m2!3d13.9720929!4d44.1625338 village of Ibb], Yemen.

[https://genius.com/Ofra-haza-daw-da-hiya-lyrics Lyrics], as sung by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ofra_Haza Ofra Haza] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iggy_Pop Iggy Pop].

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ric1sEdPIks Music video]

{{AussieRokdim|555|5abd23cedb533242358b5025}}

[[Category:Dances]]

Dror Yikra

2026-07-02T15:04:08Z

Larry: Moshiko's

Dror Yikra (Hebrew: דרור יקרא, "He will proclaim freedom") is a poem by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunash_ben_Labrat Dunash HaLevi ben Labrat], poet and grammarian of
tenth-century Spain. (In the first three verses and the final verse, the
initial letters of the lines spell out "Dunash".) The poem
has become a piyyut traditionally sung on shabbat to any number of
melodies, including [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnK4s9W9zGw The Sloop John B]
and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itIG4WU3WUc The Cups Song].
One melody transitions smoothly into the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfSLuEj99d0 Ballad of Gilligan's Island].

Of course, Israeli dances have been choreographed to many of these musical
settings:

* The most common, known as Dror Yikra, is a beginners' dance, to a melody by Moshe Ben Mush, and is the [[First Creations | first dance choreographed]] by [[Eliyahu Gamliel]] (1972).

* In the same year, [[Moshe Eskayo]] created a more difficult dance for the same melody, played much faster. This dance is usually known as "Dror Yikra (fast)" to distinguish it from Gamliel's dance.

* The dance called Debka Dror (1987, [[David Alfassi]]) is done to a melody by Rachamim Chocima, with words from the piyyut.

* The music to [[Yankele Levy]]'s dance Shabbat Re'im (1982) also uses the lyrics from Dror Yikra, set to a completely different tune.

* Another dance called Dror Yikra with the same words was done in 2013 by [[Gadi Bitton]] with music by Yonatan Razel.

* The dance called Dror (2016, [[Tuvia Tischler]]) is another dance with the same words to a different melody by Yoni Ganot.

* [[Moshiko]] (like Dunash, a HaLevi) choreographed a partner mixer called Dror Yikra in 1970, to another melody. The recording is instrumental and the words of the poem don't actually appear.

=== Links ===

[http://www.israelidances.com/search.asp?S=&ChoreographerName=&intPageNo=1&OrderBy=&SearchThis=dror+yikra&Search=Search+the+Database Variants of Dror Yikra] at [http://www.israelidances.com israelidances.com]

[http://www.rokdim.co.il/rikudim/f_rikud.asp?rikudId=5850&mode=info Gamliel's dance] at [http://www.rokdim.co.il/ Rokdim]

[http://www.rokdim.co.il/rikudim/f_rikud.asp?rikudId=5813&mode=info Debka Dror] at [http://www.rokdim.co.il/ Rokdim]

Video of [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yr51QMpSSUM Moshiko's partner mixer]

[[Category:Dances]]

{{Dancelists|[["Double" dances]] {{·}}  [[First Creations]] {{·}}  [[Moshe Eskayo's dances]] {{·}}  [[Unusual Meters]]}}

Unusual Meters

2026-06-29T17:17:46Z

Larry: Stav

__NOTOC__
On this page you can find a collection of dances to songs with unusual meter, phrasing, or musical construction.

For our purposes "usual" means measures of two, three, four, or six beats, grouped in phrases of two, four, six, or eight bars.

A further explanation can be found below the lists of dances.

==== Asymmetrical Meters ====

Please keep this table in order by meter, then alphabetically by name of dance.

{| class="wikitable"
! Dance Name !! Main Meter(s) !! With a Few Measures In !! Notes on Meter and Phrasing
|-
| Eich Olam Mamshich || 5/8 (3-2) || ||
|-
| Machur Al Yevanit || 5/8 (3-2) || 2/4 || In the first part, the last measure of each phrase in the first part is in 2/4.
|-
| Ahava Shelanu || 7/8 (3-2-2) || ||
|-
| Bachulsha Shelcha || 7/8 (3-2-2) || || The pivots at the end of part 2 cut across measures, effectively making them 2-2-3.
|-
| Da'asa (Moshiko) || 7/8 (3-2-2) || ||
|-
| Da'asa (Yakovee) || 7/8 (3-2-2) || ||
|-
| Darbashiya || 7/8 (3-2-2) || 5/8 (3-2) || The third measure of the third part is 5/8.
|-
| Halleluya (Bitton) || 7/8 (3-2-2) || 4/4 || First and third sections in 7/8, middle section in 4/4.
|-
| [[Halleluyah L'Gal]] || 7/8 (3-2-2) || || The first and third part consist of phrases with five measures each.
|-
| Mecholot Damar || 7/8 (3-2-2) || 4/4 || First section in 4/4, second and third sections in 7/8.
|-
| Reiach Tapuach Odem Shani || 7/8 (3-2-2) || ||
|-
| Yesh Lanu Ketzev || 7/8 (3-2-2) || ||
|-
| Laz || 7/8 (2-2-3) || ||
|-
| Isha Al HaChof || 9/8 (3-2-2-2) || ||
|-
| Sovev Gal Gal || 12/8 (3-2-2-3-2) || || Could be counted as 6. Further discussion in [[Music vs Dance|Music vs Dance.]]
|-
| [[Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi]] || 14/8 (3-3-2-2-2-2) || ||
|}

==== Unusual Songs: Unusual Phrasing, Extra Beats, Changes in Meter ====

Many dances have an unusual meter which isn't asymmetrical or additive, or have unusual phrasing, extra or missing beats, changes in meter, etc. Due to the number of dances which exhibit multiple traits on this list, please keep this table in alphabetical order, and explain the musicality in the appropriate fields.

{| class="wikitable"
! Dance Name !! Main Meter(s) !! With a Few Measures In !! Notes on Meter and Phrasing
|-
| Anavai || 2/4 || 3/4 || The second part has a phrase of 8 followed by a phrase of 9, the last measure being 3/4 to give an extra beat.
|-
| BeLeilot HaKaitz HaChamim || 2/4 || || First part counted 4-4 and repeated, second part is counted 4-2-4-4 and repeated.
|-
| Chamsa || 4/4 || || The first section has (appropriately) five phrases of two measures each, and the last section is a phrase of nine measures.
|-
| Chazaka MeHaRuach || 4/4 || || Part I is simply a phrase of eight measures, repeated. Part II starts with a phrase of four measures, but instead of a simple repeat the phrase becomes nine measures.
|-
| [[Chof Shaket]] || 3/4 || || The first section has two phrases of eight measures each, while the second section is a phrase of nine measures.
|-
| Derech Eretz HaShaked || 2/3 & 2/4 || || First part has two phrases of 6-6-6-8, second part has phrases of 5-6-5-6 and then 6-6-6-8. The first group of 6-6-6 are made from 2/4 measures for a straight feel, the 6-6-6 in the second part is made from 3/4 measures for a waltz feel.
|-
| [[Dror Yikra]] || 2/4 || 3/4 || First part counts 6-8, second part counts 9-6-8. The third measure of the second part is 3/4 (7-8-9 of the phrase).
|-
| Eretz Israel Yafa || 3/4 || 4/4 || Mostly in 3/4 - last phrase of the chorus ends in a measure of 4/4, giving an extra beat.
|-
| Et HaGeshem || 3/4 || 4/4 || Mostly in 3/4 - last measure of the first phrase is 4/4, giving an extra beat.
|-
| Gozi Li || 7/4 & 4/4 || || First part is in 7/4 (or one measure each of 4/4 and 3/4), second part is in 4/4.
|-
| HaChinanit || 4/4 || 2/4 || The second part has an extra measure of 2/4 at the end. However, the dance behaves differently, see [[Music vs Dance|Music vs Dance.]]
|-
| HaReshut || 4/4 || 2/4 || First three parts have 4 measures of 4 beats, last part has 10 measures of 2 beats.
|-
| [[Hashual]] || 4/4 || 3/4 || In the first section, three of the eight measures are in 3/4, feeling like a missing beat. (Perhaps better: The first section is four measures of 7/4, with an extra beat after the second measure.)
|-
| Hora Mamtera || 3/2 (6/4) & 4/4 || || First part is in 6/4, the rest in 4/4. The sheet music is written in 3/2, which is equivelant to 6/4, and it could be expressed either way. For the sake of keeping the dancer's beat the same, it makes more sense to count it as 6.
|-
| K'Agadat Rivka || 4/4 || 2/4 || First part is 4 measures of 4/4. Second part counts 4-4-4-2-4-4, then 4-4-4-4-4, that is, there's a measure of 2/4 inserted into the first repeat of a five-measure phrase.
|-
| Mezare Israel || 6/8, 2/4, 4/4, 3/4 || || First part counts 3-3-4, (one measure of 6/8, one of 2/4), and the second part counts 4-4-4-4-4-4-4-2 (three measures of 4/4, one of 3/4).
|-
| Mishal || 6/4 & 4/4 || || First part counts 6-6-6-6-6, second part counts 8-8-8-8. Dance is different, see [[Music vs Dance|Music vs Dance.]]
|-
| Mor VeKinamon || 2/4 & 3/4 || || First part counts 6-6-6-5, second part counts 8-7-8-8.
|-
| Nitzanim Niru Ba'Aretz || 2/4 || 3/4 || The last measure of the first section is in 3/4, giving an extra beat. The first section phrases as 6-7, the second section as 8-8.
|-
| [[Ozi V'Zimrat Yah]] (Uzi) || 7/4 & 6/4 || || First part is in 7, second part is in 6. Further discussion at [[Music vs Dance|Music vs Dance.]]
|-
| [[Shibolei Paz]] || 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 || || First part counts 4-4-4-2 and repeats, secound part counts 4-4-4-3-4-4-4-2
|-
| [[Shir HaHaflaga]] || 2/4 & 3/4 || || Eight phrases, with counds 10-12-9-11-13-12-13-12. The dance fits to this in a very complex way, see [[Shir HaHaflaga|here.]]
|-
| Shiru HaShir || 4/4 || 3/4 || The second measure of the first section is in 3/4, feeling like a missing beat.
|-
| Stav || 4/4 || || The first part has four phrases of four measures each; the second part is the same, except that the third phrase has only three measures. (The intro has two phrases of three measures each.)
|-
| Tikvateinu || 4/4 || || The first part is a phrase of seven measures.
|-
| VaYeven Uziyahu || 4/4 || 2/4 || In the second part, there's an extra measure of 2/4. First part counts 8-8, second part counts 8-2-8
|-
| VaYnikehu || 2/4 & 5/4 || || The first part counts 4-4-4-2, the second counts as 5-5-5-4
|-
| Ya Raya || 2/4 || || Every phrase in the song consists of five measures, for a count of 10 beats per phrase.
|-
| Zemer Ikarim || 5/4 || || Entirely in 5/4.
|}

==== Introduction to Meter ====

When counting music, the small repeating cycle of the percussion, bass, and sometimes melody which tells us where to start over and count again from 1 is known as the measure. Measures can be of different sizes; for example, most measures consist of four counts, or beats, but a waltz song will have only three beats to each measure. These measures can be described in time signatures, a pair of numbers which explains how many notes are in each measure. The bottom number tells you what size notes you're using, and the top number tells you how many are in each measure. A time signature is not the same thing as a meter. For example, the time signature 9/8 could express two or more different types of meter. Rhythm and meter are also related, but distinct - for example, a 7/8 with a metric construction of 3-2-2 could be accented to produce several different traditional rhythms. Meter, then, can be thought of as being halfway between time signature and rhythm. There are three major groups of meters: simple, compound, and asymmetrical, all of which have made their way into the music of Israeli dance. Meter can also be grouped by number; for example, all meters divisible by two are said to be duple meters, and meters divisible by three are triple.

==== Simple Meters ====

Simple meters are composed of quarter notes (so the base number will always be 4), with the number of beats in each measure being the top number, and the number we count to. A beat composed of one quarter note is called a simple beat, hence the name of the meter. The three most common simple meters are 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4.
*A simple 2/4 can be thought of as a "march," like Ahavat HaChayalim.
*A simple 3/4 can be though of as a "waltz," like Yedid Nefesh.
*A simple 4/4 is called common time, the most used meter both worldwide and in Israeli dance.
*We can also have "simple" meters of different numbers, for example 5/4 (like Zemer Ikarim), 6/4 (like the beginning of Hora Mamtera), or even higher.

==== Compound Meters ====

Compound meters are composed of eighth notes (so the base number will always be 8), with the total number of eight notes in each measure being the top number. A compound beat is composed of three eighth notes (making it 1.5 times the length of a quarter note). Compound beats are so named because they give both a triplet feel (by counting all three eighth notes) or a straight feel (by counting each group of three as one beat). Compound meters include 6/8 (like a Viennese waltz), 9/8 (like an Irish slip jig), and 12/8 (like an American swing or jazz song).
*Compound 6/8 can be counted as 123456123456 (like Ani Eshtagea), or as 1--2--1--2-- (like Yoreket Esh), with a swinging triplet feel.
*Compound 9/8 can be thought of as a "double waltz" - you have three big beats per measure, and each of those divides into three smaller beats. It's usually counted as 1&a2&a3&a, but you could technically count eight notes for 123456789. It doesn't occur in any Israeli dances (that we're aware of), but is often found in the slip jig genre of Irish dance.
*Compound 12/8 is almost always counted as 1&a2&a3&a4&a, and the main different between this meter and a plain 4/4 is that 12/8 has a swinging feel because each beat is a compound beat. Examples in Israeli dance include many swing style dances like Im Rak Tavoi BeChamesh, and arguably many Moroccan style songs like Malkat HaChatunot or Mabruk Aleikum.

==== Asymmetrical Meters ====

Asymmetrical or additive meters are composed of both simple beats (one quarter note, equal to two eighth notes) and compound beats (three eighth notes) within the same measure. This means that the beats of these meters are of unequal length, hence the name asymmetrical. Often, these meters are counted in groups of 2s for simple beats and 3s for compound beats, hence the alternative name additive. For example, one might count Isha Al HaChof as 3-2-2-2. Because the smallest unit used in these meters is always the eighth note, the base number is always eight. Usually, the top number is an odd number, such as 5/8, 7/8, or 9/8, but iterations of asymmetrical meters in 8/8, 10/8, and 12/8 also exist.
*Asymmetrical 5/8 is the simplest of its family, and can only be expressed as 3-2 or 2-3. Machur Al Yevanit, the only 5/8 Israeli dance, uses a 3-2 construction.
*Asymmetrical 7/8 is usually expressed as 3-2-2 or 2-2-3. Because of the Yemenite drum rhythm called da'asa, and because of the influence of Greek music (which often favors placing the compound beat at the beginning), most Israeli dances in 7/8 use a 3-2-2 construction, including Darbashiya, Da'asa (both Moshiko's and Yankalee's), Halleluya LeGal, and Reiach Tapuach Odem Shani. A notable exception is Moshiko's Laz, which takes it's music from the Laz region of northern Turkey and uses a 2-2-3 construction and a drum rhythm also called Laz.
*Asymmetrical 8/8 is an asymmetrical meter that, by its nature, adds up to 4/4, and is often counted as such. There are two rhythms in middle eastern music which use this meter, known as wahda and bolero. Bolero is a fairly common rhythm in Israeli dance, showing up in such songs as Al Na Tishal, Tzel Etz Tamar, Pireus, and Ma SheBenainu. Again, it's perfectly logical to count these songs in 4, since the 8/8 rhythms simplify to that number.
*Asymmetrical 9/8 is totally different to compound 9/8, and is usually constructed as 2-2-2-3 (especially in Turkish influenced music) or as 3-2-2-2 (more common in Greek tunes). The only Israeli dance to use an asymmetrical 9/8 is Isha Al HaChof, which, translated from a Greek song, uses the 3-2-2-2 construction of this meter.
*Asymmetrical 12/8 is a very uncommon meter, but does exist in the dance Sovev Gal Gal, in a 3-2-2-3-2 construction (possibly a variation of the Arabic Iqa called Warashan).
*There are many other rhythms and meters of the middle east which fall into this family, including the 10/8 rhythms of Arabia, Armenia, and Turkey (Samai al-Thaqil and Curcuna) and the Arabic iqaat and Turkish usuls. However, as yet, none seem to have been used for music extant in the Israeli dance tradition.

==== Changes in Meter ====

In addition to understanding all these meters, we have to take into account that some songs change meter, whether for major portions of the music or for a single measure. For example, Hora Mamtera begins in 6/4 (sometimes written as 3/2), but in the second part of the dance shifts into a more regular 4/4. Eretz Yisrael Yafa, on the other hand, has only one measure of 4/4 at the end of the chorus, producing an "extra beat." Dror Yikra has the same phenomenon, being a song in 2/4 with a single measure of 3/4 during the second part.

==== Changes in Phrasing ====

Finally, even if a song stays a consistent meter throughout, it might still throw dancers off their normal counts by having unusual phrasing. Most songs have phrases (combinations of measures) which are even, usually in groups of two or four. It's one of the reasons dancers often count to 8. However, particularly in middle eastern music, phrases are sometimes made of a strange number of measures. Halleluya LeGal, for example, is in 7/8 through the whole song, but has five measures in the first and third parts. Tikvateinu has seven measures of 4/4 in its verse, rather than a more typical 8 measures.

==== A Few Common Errors ====

A final consideration when dealing with unusual counts is that dancers sometimes ignore the actual meter and time signature, and count to four or eight. This can result in three phenomena in which dancers don't articulate the reality of the music very well.
*"Extra Beats" vs. Extra Measure - In a 4/4 song, you might have perfectly even phrasing - four beats to a measure, four measures to a phrase - but very often there's an extra measure at the end of a phrase as a way to transition musically (for example, between the verse and chorus of Tagidi Lo, or at the end of part A in Bimkom Prida). Dancers often mistakenly call this "extra beats," when in reality it would be better to say "extra measure." Extra beats would technically mean you have a measure of a greater size, like in Eretz Yisrael Yafa or Dror Yikra.
*"Missing Beats" - Missing beats can certainly exist, in the same way that extra beats can: for instance, if you had a song in 4/4 and you suddenly had a measure of 3/4, that could be thought of as a missing beat. However, often dancers refer to "missing beats" when there was no actual change in meter. For example, in a 2/4 song, dancers sometimes (read: almost always) count to either four or eight, and a phrase of three measures of 2/4 will feel like two measures of 4/4 with two beats suddenly missing.
*"False Changes in Meter" - Similarly the the "missing beats" described above, if a song which is actually in 2/4 is being counted in fours, and there is an extra measure of 2/4, it will seem as if there was a change of meter when actually, none occurred. Usually, the meter of a piece can be ascertained by listening for the smallest repeating pattern in the percussion and/or bass line.

[[Category:Dances]]
[[Category:Dance Lists]]

Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi

2026-06-22T15:41:58Z

Larry: minor additions and rewrites

Hebrew: ידידי רועי מקימי (My Friend, My Shepard, My Support). Circle dance by [[Mitch Ginsburgh]], 2026.

Each element of this work is independently interesting. We take them one by one.

=== The Lyrics ===

The words were written by Rabbi Israel ben Moses Najara, who was born in Damascus in about 1555. He later moved to Safed, but after a pogrom there in 1579 his family moved to Gaza,
where Najara eventually succeeded his father as Chief Rabbi of Gaza (a position which is currently vacant).

Najara was among other things a liturgical poet. He wrote hymns, poems, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piyyut piyyutim], sermons, and commentary. His best-known work is [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ya_Ribon Yah Ribon Olam], sung by Jews of many traditions on Friday night.

This particular poem, Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi,
describes the yearning of the people of Israel for redemption and the glory of God as sheep yearning for their shepherd.
The allegory with sheep and shepherds is pervasive—indeed, every stanza ends with the word "tzoan" (sheep). As in Yah Ribon Olam, the first letters of the first five verses form an acrostic for Najara's first name. There is also a lovely connection with the Tanach: the end of the first stanza is "עַל מִי נָטַשְׁתָּ מְעַט הַצֹּאן" ("with whom have you left those few sheep [in the wilderness]?"). These are the exact words of Eliav, oldest brother of David, upbraiding David for abandoning his post as shepherd to battle Goliath (1 Samuel 17:28). Similar allusions are rife in Najara's works.

(Not everyone was a fan of Najara. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayyim_ben_Joseph_Vital Hayyim Vital], a contemporary and a Kabbalist, accused Najara of using foul language, drunkenness, homosexuality, and having sexual relations with non-Jewish women. It's hard to take these denunciations seriously since Vital based them on mystic revelations rather than on fact. Najara was also criticized for poetry describing God and Israel as a married couple.<ref>But there is a longstanding tradition of the sexuality metaphor, especially in the Song of Songs; explanation [https://larry.denenberg.com/song-of-songs.txt here].</ref>)

=== The Music ===

The tune we dance to is a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baqashot baqasha], a song sung in some Sephardic Jewish communities on Shabbat morning before dawn, especially in winter when the dawn comes late. The order and structure of the baqashot can be extremely complex. This particular baqasha comes from the Moroccan sequence, which was heavily influence by Najara. In that tradition each baqasha is associated with a particular parsha of the Torah. The melodies are taken from Andalusian classical music and popular Arabic tunes, transmitted orally with no specific known composer. The melody for this dance is the Moroccan baqasha for parshat Vayeira (Genesis 18:1–22:24, including the Akeda).

Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi is also sung in Lubavitch communities to a completely different tune that has its own interesting story.<ref>[https://www.soulwords.org/video/yedidi/ This commentary] on the song by Rabbi Shais Taub includes discussion and performance of the Lubavitch tune.</ref>

The meter of the tune is [[Unusual Meters | unusual]], as is common in the Moroccan tradition of baqashot. It consists of two measures of three beats followed by four measures of two beats: 3-3-2-2-2-2. The recording we dance to is performed by Yigal Haroush, from his album A'ira Shachar ("I Will Awaken Dawn"), a collection of Moroccan baqashot. In the original, the meter of the intro is different; it's 3-3-2-2-2 until the singer enters; similarly, the meter of the outro is 3-3-2-2-2 once the singing ends. In the recording we dance to, Mitch has made the meter uniform by changing both to 3-3-2-2-2-2, though it's ''very'' hard to hear in the outro.
Mitch says:
<blockquote>
The “hook” for me that led me to go forward with the dance was the
unusual rhythm itself, as I knew it would feel like learning a new
rhythmic language. Like in my 5 months learning Spanish, each part/bit
gets a little more complex, with the 5th part putting together many of
the elements found in the previous 4 until you get to the ultimate
challenge of the outro: having to internalize the rhythm and not rely
on clear musical cues, just as a language learner must learn to
produce language on their own outside of the controlled classroom
environment.<ref>Personal communication, 9 June 2026</ref>
</blockquote>

=== The Dance ===

The dance consists of five parts, which Mitch calls "bits"<ref>Mitch says: "If I had opened the teach saying that the dance has 5 “parts,” most of the dancers would’ve left the floor right then and there." (Personal communication, 9 June 2026)</ref>
rather than "sections" or "parts". The entire sequence repeats twice and then ends with the second bit in the third repetition.

=== Footnotes ===

<references/>

=== Links ===

The original: Yigal Haroush [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOhhOxzi-bY singing] Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi (includes Hebrew lyrics)

The entire album [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD7TmVj9_9c&list=OLAK5uy_m6i29rGWurRB9AmbPINu05i7Z9EKwkQ_g A'irah Shachar], including other Moroccan baqashot (like Yedid Nefesh) for awakening dawn, in unusual meters

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_ben_Moses_Najara Rabbi Israel ben Moses Najara] at Wikipedia (English)

The [https://mechon-mamre.org/i/t/t08a17.htm# first book of Samuel, chapter 17] (Hebrew)

{{AussieRokdim |11788 |69fdb7b1fc4cd15a4ece4391}}

{{Dancelists|[[Unusual Meters]]}}

[[Category:Dances]]

__NOTOC__

Anahiya

2026-06-17T00:40:03Z

Larry: Created page with "Hebrew: אנאהיא (girl's name, though often mistranslated as "I Am She" or "Where Is She" or the like). Circle dance by Meir Shem-Tov, 1991. {{stub}} === Links === {{AussieRokdim |587 |5abd2372db5332783c8b45c5}} Category:Dances"

Hebrew: אנאהיא (girl's name, though often mistranslated as "I Am She" or "Where Is She" or the like). Circle dance by [[Meir Shem-Tov]], 1991.

{{stub}}

=== Links ===

{{AussieRokdim |587 |5abd2372db5332783c8b45c5}}

[[Category:Dances]]

Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi

2026-06-10T18:39:53Z

Larry: Minor rewording

Hebrew: ידידי רועי מקימי (My Friend, My Shepard, My Support). Circle dance by [[Mitch Ginsburgh]], 2026.

Each element of this work is independently interesting. We take them one by one.

=== The Lyrics ===

The words were written by Rabbi Israel ben Moses Najara, who was born in Damascus in about 1555. He later moved to Safed, but after a pogrom there in 1579 his family moved to Gaza,
where Najara eventually succeeded his father as Chief Rabbi of Gaza (a position which is currently vacant).

Najara was among other things a liturgical poet. He wrote hymns, poems, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piyyut piyyutim], sermons, and commentary. His best-known work is Yah Ribon Olam, sung by Jews of many traditions on Friday night.

This particular poem, Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi, is an allegory based on sheep and shepherds—indeed, every stanza ends with the word "tzoan" (sheep). There is a fascinating connection with the Tanach: the end of the first stanza is "עַל מִי נָטַשְׁתָּ מְעַט הַצֹּאן" ("with whom have you left those few sheep [in the wilderness]?"). These are the exact words of Eliav, oldest brother of David, upbraiding David for abandoning his post as shepherd to battle Goliath (1 Samuel 17:28). Similar allusions are rife in Najara's works.

(Not everyone was a fan of Najara. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayyim_ben_Joseph_Vital Hayyim Vital], a contemporary and a Kabbalist, accused Najara of using foul language, being a drunkard, being a homosexual, and having sexual relations with non-Jewish women. It's hard to take these denunciations seriously, since Vital based them on mystic revelations rather than on fact. Najara was also criticized for poetry describing God and Israel as a married couple.<ref>But there is a longstanding tradition of the sexuality metaphor, especially in the Song of Songs; explanation [https://larry.denenberg.com/song-of-songs.txt here].</ref>)

=== The Music ===

The tune we dance to is a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baqashot baqasha], a song sung in some Sephardic Jewish communities on Shabbat morning from after midnight until dawn, especially in winter when the dawn comes late. The order and structure of the baqashot can be extremely complex. This particular baqasha comes from the Moroccan sequence, which was heavily influence by Najara. In that tradition there is a separate baqasha for each parsha of the Torah. The melody for this dance is the Moroccan baqasha for parshat Vayeira (Genesis 18:1–22:24, including the Akeda). The melodies are taken from Andalusian classical music and popular Arabic tunes, transmitted orally with no specific known composer.

Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi is also sung by Lubavitch to a completely different tune that has its own interesting story.<ref>[https://www.soulwords.org/video/yedidi/ This commentary] on the song by Rabbi Shais Taub includes discussion and performance of the Lubavitch tune.</ref>

The meter of the tune is [[Unusual Meters | unusual]], as is common in the Moroccan tradition of baqashot. It consists of two measures of three beats each followed by four measures of two beats each: 3-3-2-2-2-2. The recording we dance to is performed by Yigal Haroush, from his album A'ira Shachar ("I Will Awaken Dawn"), a collection of Moroccan baqashot. In the original, the meter of the intro is different; it's 3-3-2-2-2 until the singer enters; similarly, the meter of the outro is 3-3-2-2-2 once the singing ends. In the recording we dance to, Mitch has made the meter uniform by changing both to 3-3-2-2-2-2, though it's ''very'' hard to hear in the outro.
Mitch says:
<blockquote>
The “hook” for me that led me to go forward with the dance was the
unusual rhythm itself, as I knew it would feel like learning a new
rhythmic language. Like in my 5 months learning Spanish, each part/bit
gets a little more complex, with the 5th part putting together many of
the elements found in the previous 4 until you get to the ultimate
challenge of the outro: having to internalize the rhythm and not rely
on clear musical cues, just as a language learner must learn to
produce language on their own outside of the controlled classroom
environment.<ref>Personal communication, 9 June 2026</ref>
</blockquote>

=== The Dance ===

The dance consists of five parts, which Mitch calls "bits"<ref>Mitch says: "If I had opened the teach saying that the dance has 5 “parts,” most of the dancers would’ve left the floor right then and there." (Personal communication, 9 June 2026)</ref>
rather than "sections" or "parts". The entire sequence repeats twice and then ends with the second bit in the third repetition.

=== Footnotes ===

<references/>

=== Links ===

The original: Yigal Haroush [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOhhOxzi-bY singing] Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi (includes Hebrew lyrics)

The entire album [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD7TmVj9_9c&list=OLAK5uy_m6i29rGWurRB9AmbPINu05i7Z9EKwkQ_g A'irah Shachar], including other Moroccan baqashot (like Yedid Nefesh) for awakening dawn, in unusual meters

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_ben_Moses_Najara Rabbi Israel ben Moses Najara] at Wikipedia (English)

The [https://mechon-mamre.org/i/t/t08a17.htm# first book of Samuel, chapter 17] (Hebrew)

{{AussieRokdim |11788 |69fdb7b1fc4cd15a4ece4391}}

{{Dancelists|[[Unusual Meters]]}}

[[Category:Dances]]

__NOTOC__

Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi

2026-06-10T18:36:16Z

Larry: Incorporate Mitch's replies; wordsmithing

Hebrew: ידידי רועי מקימי (My Friend, My Shepard, My Support). Circle dance by [[Mitch Ginsburgh]], 2026.

Each element of this work is independently interesting. We take them one by one.

=== The Lyrics ===

The words were written by Rabbi Israel ben Moses Najara, who was born in Damascus in about 1555. He later moved to Safed, but after a pogrom there in 1579 his family moved to Gaza,
where Najara eventually succeeded his father as Chief Rabbi of Gaza (a position which is currently vacant).

Najara was among other things a liturgical poet. He wrote hymns, poems, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piyyut piyyutim], sermons, and commentary. His best-known work is Yah Ribon Olam, sung by Jews of many traditions on Friday night.

This particular poem, Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi, is an allegory based on sheep and shepherds—indeed, every stanza ends with the word "tzoan" (sheep). There is a fascinating connection with the Tanach: the end of the first stanza is "עַל מִי נָטַשְׁתָּ מְעַט הַצֹּאן" ("with whom have you left those few sheep [in the wilderness]?"). These are the exact words of Eliav, oldest brother of David, upbraiding David for abandoning his post as shepherd to battle Goliath (1 Samuel 17:28). Similar allusions are rife in Najara's works.

(Not everyone was a fan of Najara. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayyim_ben_Joseph_Vital Hayyim Vital], a contemporary and a Kabbalist, attacked Najara, accusing him of using foul language, being a drunkard, being a homosexual, and having sexual relations with non-Jewish women. It's hard to take these denunciations seriously, since Vital based them on mystic revelations rather than on fact. Najara was also criticized for poetry describing God and Israel as a married couple.<ref>But there is a longstanding tradition of the sexuality metaphor, especially in the Song of Songs; explanation [https://larry.denenberg.com/song-of-songs.txt here].</ref>)

=== The Music ===

The tune we dance to is a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baqashot baqasha], a song sung in some Sephardic Jewish communities on Shabbat morning from after midnight until dawn, especially in winter when the dawn comes late. The order and structure of the baqashot can be extremely complex. This particular baqasha comes from the Moroccan sequence, which was heavily influence by Najara. In that tradition there is a separate baqasha for each parsha of the Torah. The melody for this dance is the Moroccan baqasha for parshat Vayeira (Genesis 18:1–22:24, including the Akeda). The melodies are taken from Andalusian classical music and popular Arabic tunes, transmitted orally with no specific known composer.

Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi is also sung by Lubavitch to a completely different tune that has its own interesting story.<ref>[https://www.soulwords.org/video/yedidi/ This commentary] on the song by Rabbi Shais Taub includes discussion and performance of the Lubavitch tune.</ref>

The meter of the tune is [[Unusual Meters | unusual]], as is common in the Moroccan tradition of baqashot. It consists of two measures of three beats each followed by four measures of two beats each: 3-3-2-2-2-2. The recording we dance to is performed by Yigal Haroush, from his album A'ira Shachar ("I Will Awaken Dawn"), a collection of Moroccan baqashot. In the original, the meter of the intro is different; it's 3-3-2-2-2 until the singer enters; similarly, the meter of the outro is 3-3-2-2-2 once the singing ends. In the recording we dance to, Mitch has made the meter uniform by changing both to 3-3-2-2-2-2, though it's ''very'' hard to hear in the outro.
Mitch says:
<blockquote>
The “hook” for me that led me to go forward with the dance was the
unusual rhythm itself, as I knew it would feel like learning a new
rhythmic language. Like in my 5 months learning Spanish, each part/bit
gets a little more complex, with the 5th part putting together many of
the elements found in the previous 4 until you get to the ultimate
challenge of the outro: having to internalize the rhythm and not rely
on clear musical cues, just as a language learner must learn to
produce language on their own outside of the controlled classroom
environment.<ref>Personal communication, 9 June 2026</ref>
</blockquote>

=== The Dance ===

The dance consists of five parts, which Mitch calls "bits"<ref>Mitch says: "If I had opened the teach saying that the dance has 5 “parts,” most of the dancers would’ve left the floor right then and there." (Personal communication, 9 June 2026)</ref>
rather than "sections" or "parts". The entire sequence repeats twice and then ends with the second bit in the third repetition.

=== Footnotes ===

<references/>

=== Links ===

The original: Yigal Haroush [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOhhOxzi-bY singing] Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi (includes Hebrew lyrics)

The entire album [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD7TmVj9_9c&list=OLAK5uy_m6i29rGWurRB9AmbPINu05i7Z9EKwkQ_g A'irah Shachar], including other Moroccan baqashot (like Yedid Nefesh) for awakening dawn, in unusual meters

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_ben_Moses_Najara Rabbi Israel ben Moses Najara] at Wikipedia (English)

The [https://mechon-mamre.org/i/t/t08a17.htm# first book of Samuel, chapter 17] (Hebrew)

{{AussieRokdim |11788 |69fdb7b1fc4cd15a4ece4391}}

{{Dancelists|[[Unusual Meters]]}}

[[Category:Dances]]

__NOTOC__

Unusual Meters

2026-06-10T03:41:18Z

Larry: typos

__NOTOC__
On this page you can find a collection of dances to songs with unusual meter, phrasing, or musical construction.

For our purposes "usual" means measures of two, three, four, or six beats, grouped in phrases of two, four, six, or eight bars.

A further explanation can be found below the lists of dances.

==== Asymmetrical Meters ====

Please keep this table in order by meter, then alphabetically by name of dance.

{| class="wikitable"
! Dance Name !! Main Meter(s) !! With a Few Measures In !! Notes on Meter and Phrasing
|-
| Eich Olam Mamshich || 5/8 (3-2) || ||
|-
| Machur Al Yevanit || 5/8 (3-2) || 2/4 || In the first part, the last measure of each phrase in the first part is in 2/4.
|-
| Ahava Shelanu || 7/8 (3-2-2) || ||
|-
| Bachulsha Shelcha || 7/8 (3-2-2) || || The pivots at the end of part 2 cut across measures, effectively making them 2-2-3.
|-
| Da'asa (Moshiko) || 7/8 (3-2-2) || ||
|-
| Da'asa (Yakovee) || 7/8 (3-2-2) || ||
|-
| Darbashiya || 7/8 (3-2-2) || 5/8 (3-2) || The third measure of the third part is 5/8.
|-
| Halleluya (Bitton) || 7/8 (3-2-2) || 4/4 || First and third sections in 7/8, middle section in 4/4.
|-
| [[Halleluyah L'Gal]] || 7/8 (3-2-2) || || The first and third part consist of phrases with five measures each.
|-
| Mecholot Damar || 7/8 (3-2-2) || 4/4 || First section in 4/4, second and third sections in 7/8.
|-
| Reiach Tapuach Odem Shani || 7/8 (3-2-2) || ||
|-
| Yesh Lanu Ketzev || 7/8 (3-2-2) || ||
|-
| Laz || 7/8 (2-2-3) || ||
|-
| Isha Al HaChof || 9/8 (3-2-2-2) || ||
|-
| Sovev Gal Gal || 12/8 (3-2-2-3-2) || || Could be counted as 6. Further discussion in [[Music vs Dance|Music vs Dance.]]
|-
| [[Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi]] || 14/8 (3-3-2-2-2-2) || ||
|}

==== Unusual Songs: Unusual Phrasing, Extra Beats, Changes in Meter ====

Many dances have an unusual meter which isn't asymmetrical or additive, or have unusual phrasing, extra or missing beats, changes in meter, etc. Due to the number of dances which exhibit multiple traits on this list, please keep this table in alphabetical order, and explain the musicality in the appropriate fields.

{| class="wikitable"
! Dance Name !! Main Meter(s) !! With a Few Measures In !! Notes on Meter and Phrasing
|-
| Anavai || 2/4 || 3/4 || The second part has a phrase of 8 followed by a phrase of 9, the last measure being 3/4 to give an extra beat.
|-
| BeLeilot HaKaitz HaChamim || 2/4 || || First part counted 4-4 and repeated, second part is counted 4-2-4-4 and repeated.
|-
| Chamsa || 4/4 || || The first section has (appropriately) five phrases of two measures each, and the last section is a phrase of nine measures.
|-
| Chazaka MeHaRuach || 4/4 || || Part I is simply a phrase of eight measures, repeated. Part II starts with a phrase of four measures, but instead of a simple repeat the phrase becomes nine measures.
|-
| [[Chof Shaket]] || 3/4 || || The first section has two phrases of eight measures each, while the second section is a phrase of nine measures.
|-
| Derech Eretz HaShaked || 2/3 & 2/4 || || First part has two phrases of 6-6-6-8, second part has phrases of 5-6-5-6 and then 6-6-6-8. The first group of 6-6-6 are made from 2/4 measures for a straight feel, the 6-6-6 in the second part is made from 3/4 measures for a waltz feel.
|-
| [[Dror Yikra]] || 2/4 || 3/4 || First part counts 6-8, second part counts 9-6-8. The third measure of the second part is 3/4 (7-8-9 of the phrase).
|-
| Eretz Israel Yafa || 3/4 || 4/4 || Mostly in 3/4 - last phrase of the chorus ends in a measure of 4/4, giving an extra beat.
|-
| Et HaGeshem || 3/4 || 4/4 || Mostly in 3/4 - last measure of the first phrase is 4/4, giving an extra beat.
|-
| Gozi Li || 7/4 & 4/4 || || First part is in 7/4 (or one measure each of 4/4 and 3/4), second part is in 4/4.
|-
| HaChinanit || 4/4 || 2/4 || The second part has an extra measure of 2/4 at the end. However, the dance behaves differently, see [[Music vs Dance|Music vs Dance.]]
|-
| HaReshut || 4/4 || 2/4 || First three parts have 4 measures of 4 beats, last part has 10 measures of 2 beats.
|-
| [[Hashual]] || 4/4 || 3/4 || In the first section, three of the eight measures are in 3/4, feeling like a missing beat. (Perhaps better: The first section is four measures of 7/4, with an extra beat after the second measure.)
|-
| Hora Mamtera || 3/2 (6/4) & 4/4 || || First part is in 6/4, the rest in 4/4. The sheet music is written in 3/2, which is equivelant to 6/4, and it could be expressed either way. For the sake of keeping the dancer's beat the same, it makes more sense to count it as 6.
|-
| K'Agadat Rivka || 4/4 || 2/4 || First part is 4 measures of 4/4. Second part counts 4-4-4-2-4-4, then 4-4-4-4-4, that is, there's a measure of 2/4 inserted into the first repeat of a five-measure phrase.
|-
| Mezare Israel || 6/8, 2/4, 4/4, 3/4 || || First part counts 3-3-4, (one measure of 6/8, one of 2/4), and the second part counts 4-4-4-4-4-4-4-2 (three measures of 4/4, one of 3/4).
|-
| Mishal || 6/4 & 4/4 || || First part counts 6-6-6-6-6, second part counts 8-8-8-8. Dance is different, see [[Music vs Dance|Music vs Dance.]]
|-
| Mor VeKinamon || 2/4 & 3/4 || || First part counts 6-6-6-5, second part counts 8-7-8-8.
|-
| Nitzanim Niru Ba'Aretz || 2/4 || 3/4 || The last measure of the first section is in 3/4, giving an extra beat. The first section phrases as 6-7, the second section as 8-8.
|-
| [[Ozi V'Zimrat Yah]] (Uzi) || 7/4 & 6/4 || || First part is in 7, second part is in 6. Further discussion at [[Music vs Dance|Music vs Dance.]]
|-
| [[Shibolei Paz]] || 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 || || First part counts 4-4-4-2 and repeats, secound part counts 4-4-4-3-4-4-4-2
|-
| [[Shir HaHaflaga]] || 2/4 & 3/4 || || Eight phrases, with counds 10-12-9-11-13-12-13-12. The dance fits to this in a very complex way, see [[Shir HaHaflaga|here.]]
|-
| Shiru HaShir || 4/4 || 3/4 || The second measure of the first section is in 3/4, feeling like a missing beat.
|-
| Tikvateinu || 4/4 || || The first part is a phrase of seven measures.
|-
| VaYeven Uziyahu || 4/4 || 2/4 || In the second part, there's an extra measure of 2/4. First part counts 8-8, second part counts 8-2-8
|-
| VaYnikehu || 2/4 & 5/4 || || The first part counts 4-4-4-2, the second counts as 5-5-5-4
|-
| Ya Raya || 2/4 || || Every phrase in the song consists of five measures, for a count of 10 beats per phrase.
|-
| Zemer Ikarim || 5/4 || || Entirely in 5/4.
|}

==== Introduction to Meter ====

When counting music, the small repeating cycle of the percussion, bass, and sometimes melody which tells us where to start over and count again from 1 is known as the measure. Measures can be of different sizes; for example, most measures consist of four counts, or beats, but a waltz song will have only three beats to each measure. These measures can be described in time signatures, a pair of numbers which explains how many notes are in each measure. The bottom number tells you what size notes you're using, and the top number tells you how many are in each measure. A time signature is not the same thing as a meter. For example, the time signature 9/8 could express two or more different types of meter. Rhythm and meter are also related, but distinct - for example, a 7/8 with a metric construction of 3-2-2 could be accented to produce several different traditional rhythms. Meter, then, can be thought of as being halfway between time signature and rhythm. There are three major groups of meters: simple, compound, and asymmetrical, all of which have made their way into the music of Israeli dance. Meter can also be grouped by number; for example, all meters divisible by two are said to be duple meters, and meters divisible by three are triple.

==== Simple Meters ====

Simple meters are composed of quarter notes (so the base number will always be 4), with the number of beats in each measure being the top number, and the number we count to. A beat composed of one quarter note is called a simple beat, hence the name of the meter. The three most common simple meters are 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4.
*A simple 2/4 can be thought of as a "march," like Ahavat HaChayalim.
*A simple 3/4 can be though of as a "waltz," like Yedid Nefesh.
*A simple 4/4 is called common time, the most used meter both worldwide and in Israeli dance.
*We can also have "simple" meters of different numbers, for example 5/4 (like Zemer Ikarim), 6/4 (like the beginning of Hora Mamtera), or even higher.

==== Compound Meters ====

Compound meters are composed of eighth notes (so the base number will always be 8), with the total number of eight notes in each measure being the top number. A compound beat is composed of three eighth notes (making it 1.5 times the length of a quarter note). Compound beats are so named because they give both a triplet feel (by counting all three eighth notes) or a straight feel (by counting each group of three as one beat). Compound meters include 6/8 (like a Viennese waltz), 9/8 (like an Irish slip jig), and 12/8 (like an American swing or jazz song).
*Compound 6/8 can be counted as 123456123456 (like Ani Eshtagea), or as 1--2--1--2-- (like Yoreket Esh), with a swinging triplet feel.
*Compound 9/8 can be thought of as a "double waltz" - you have three big beats per measure, and each of those divides into three smaller beats. It's usually counted as 1&a2&a3&a, but you could technically count eight notes for 123456789. It doesn't occur in any Israeli dances (that we're aware of), but is often found in the slip jig genre of Irish dance.
*Compound 12/8 is almost always counted as 1&a2&a3&a4&a, and the main different between this meter and a plain 4/4 is that 12/8 has a swinging feel because each beat is a compound beat. Examples in Israeli dance include many swing style dances like Im Rak Tavoi BeChamesh, and arguably many Moroccan style songs like Malkat HaChatunot or Mabruk Aleikum.

==== Asymmetrical Meters ====

Asymmetrical or additive meters are composed of both simple beats (one quarter note, equal to two eighth notes) and compound beats (three eighth notes) within the same measure. This means that the beats of these meters are of unequal length, hence the name asymmetrical. Often, these meters are counted in groups of 2s for simple beats and 3s for compound beats, hence the alternative name additive. For example, one might count Isha Al HaChof as 3-2-2-2. Because the smallest unit used in these meters is always the eighth note, the base number is always eight. Usually, the top number is an odd number, such as 5/8, 7/8, or 9/8, but iterations of asymmetrical meters in 8/8, 10/8, and 12/8 also exist.
*Asymmetrical 5/8 is the simplest of its family, and can only be expressed as 3-2 or 2-3. Machur Al Yevanit, the only 5/8 Israeli dance, uses a 3-2 construction.
*Asymmetrical 7/8 is usually expressed as 3-2-2 or 2-2-3. Because of the Yemenite drum rhythm called da'asa, and because of the influence of Greek music (which often favors placing the compound beat at the beginning), most Israeli dances in 7/8 use a 3-2-2 construction, including Darbashiya, Da'asa (both Moshiko's and Yankalee's), Halleluya LeGal, and Reiach Tapuach Odem Shani. A notable exception is Moshiko's Laz, which takes it's music from the Laz region of northern Turkey and uses a 2-2-3 construction and a drum rhythm also called Laz.
*Asymmetrical 8/8 is an asymmetrical meter that, by its nature, adds up to 4/4, and is often counted as such. There are two rhythms in middle eastern music which use this meter, known as wahda and bolero. Bolero is a fairly common rhythm in Israeli dance, showing up in such songs as Al Na Tishal, Tzel Etz Tamar, Pireus, and Ma SheBenainu. Again, it's perfectly logical to count these songs in 4, since the 8/8 rhythms simplify to that number.
*Asymmetrical 9/8 is totally different to compound 9/8, and is usually constructed as 2-2-2-3 (especially in Turkish influenced music) or as 3-2-2-2 (more common in Greek tunes). The only Israeli dance to use an asymmetrical 9/8 is Isha Al HaChof, which, translated from a Greek song, uses the 3-2-2-2 construction of this meter.
*Asymmetrical 12/8 is a very uncommon meter, but does exist in the dance Sovev Gal Gal, in a 3-2-2-3-2 construction (possibly a variation of the Arabic Iqa called Warashan).
*There are many other rhythms and meters of the middle east which fall into this family, including the 10/8 rhythms of Arabia, Armenia, and Turkey (Samai al-Thaqil and Curcuna) and the Arabic iqaat and Turkish usuls. However, as yet, none seem to have been used for music extant in the Israeli dance tradition.

==== Changes in Meter ====

In addition to understanding all these meters, we have to take into account that some songs change meter, whether for major portions of the music or for a single measure. For example, Hora Mamtera begins in 6/4 (sometimes written as 3/2), but in the second part of the dance shifts into a more regular 4/4. Eretz Yisrael Yafa, on the other hand, has only one measure of 4/4 at the end of the chorus, producing an "extra beat." Dror Yikra has the same phenomenon, being a song in 2/4 with a single measure of 3/4 during the second part.

==== Changes in Phrasing ====

Finally, even if a song stays a consistent meter throughout, it might still throw dancers off their normal counts by having unusual phrasing. Most songs have phrases (combinations of measures) which are even, usually in groups of two or four. It's one of the reasons dancers often count to 8. However, particularly in middle eastern music, phrases are sometimes made of a strange number of measures. Halleluya LeGal, for example, is in 7/8 through the whole song, but has five measures in the first and third parts. Tikvateinu has seven measures of 4/4 in its verse, rather than a more typical 8 measures.

==== A Few Common Errors ====

A final consideration when dealing with unusual counts is that dancers sometimes ignore the actual meter and time signature, and count to four or eight. This can result in three phenomena in which dancers don't articulate the reality of the music very well.
*"Extra Beats" vs. Extra Measure - In a 4/4 song, you might have perfectly even phrasing - four beats to a measure, four measures to a phrase - but very often there's an extra measure at the end of a phrase as a way to transition musically (for example, between the verse and chorus of Tagidi Lo, or at the end of part A in Bimkom Prida). Dancers often mistakenly call this "extra beats," when in reality it would be better to say "extra measure." Extra beats would technically mean you have a measure of a greater size, like in Eretz Yisrael Yafa or Dror Yikra.
*"Missing Beats" - Missing beats can certainly exist, in the same way that extra beats can: for instance, if you had a song in 4/4 and you suddenly had a measure of 3/4, that could be thought of as a missing beat. However, often dancers refer to "missing beats" when there was no actual change in meter. For example, in a 2/4 song, dancers sometimes (read: almost always) count to either four or eight, and a phrase of three measures of 2/4 will feel like two measures of 4/4 with two beats suddenly missing.
*"False Changes in Meter" - Similarly the the "missing beats" described above, if a song which is actually in 2/4 is being counted in fours, and there is an extra measure of 2/4, it will seem as if there was a change of meter when actually, none occurred. Usually, the meter of a piece can be ascertained by listening for the smallest repeating pattern in the percussion and/or bass line.

[[Category:Dances]]
[[Category:Dance Lists]]

Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi

2026-06-09T02:49:50Z

Larry: minor rewording

Hebrew: ידידי רועי מקימי (My Friend, My Shepard, My Support). Circle dance by [[Mitch Ginsburgh]], 2026.

Each aspect of this work is independently interesting. We take them in order.

=== The Lyrics ===

The words were written by Rabbi Israel ben Moses Najara, who was born in Damascus in about 1555. He later moved to Safed, but after a pogrom there in 1579 his family moved to Gaza,
where Najara eventually succeeded his father as Chief Rabbi of Gaza (a position which is currently vacant).

Najara was among other things a liturgical poet. He wrote hymns, poems, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piyyut piyyutim], sermons, and commentary. His most famous work is likely Yah Ribon Olam, sung by Jews of many traditions on Friday night.

This particular poem, Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi, is an allegory based on sheep and shepherds—indeed, every stanza ends with the word "tzoan" (sheep). There is a fascinating connection with the Tanach: the end of the first stanza is "עַל מִי נָטַשְׁתָּ מְעַט הַצֹּאן" ("with whom have you left those few sheep [in the wilderness]?"). These are the exact words of Eliav, oldest brother of David, upbraiding David for abandoning his post as shepherd to battle Goliath (1 Samuel 17:28). Similar allusions are rife in Najara's works.

(Not everyone was a fan of Najara. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayyim_ben_Joseph_Vital Hayyim Vital], a contemporary and a Kabbalist, attacked Najara, accusing him of using foul language, being a drunkard, being a homosexual, and having sexual relations with non-Jewish women. It's hard to take these denunciations seriously, since Vital based them on mystic revelations rather than on fact. Najara was also criticized for poetry describing God and Israel as a married couple.<ref>But there is a longstanding tradition of the sexuality metaphor, especially in the Song of Songs; explanation [https://larry.denenberg.com/song-of-songs.txt here].</ref>)

=== The Music ===

The tune we dance to is a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baqashot baqasha], a song sung in some Sephardic Jewish communities on Shabbat morning from after midnight until dawn, especially in winter when the dawn comes late. The order and structure of the baqashot can be extremely complex. This particular baqasha comes from the Moroccan sequence, which was heavily influence by Najara. In that tradition there is a separate baqasha for each parsha of the Torah. The melody for this dance is the Moroccan baqasha for parshat Vayeira (Genesis 18:1–22:24, including the Akeda). The melodies are taken from Andalusian classical music and popular Arabic tunes, transmitted orally with no specific known composer.

Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi is also sung by Lubavitch to a completely different tune that has its own interesting story.<ref>[https://www.soulwords.org/video/yedidi/ This commentary] on the song by Rabbi Shais Taub includes discussion and performance of the Lubavitch tune.</ref>

The meter of the tune is [[Unusual Meters | unusual]], as is common in the Moroccan tradition of baqashot. It consists of two measures of three beats each followed by four measures of two beats each: 3-3-2-2-2-2. This meter repeats without exception through the entire song, though the pattern is ''very'' hard to hear during the outro.

The recording we dance to is performed by Yigal Haroush, from his album A'ira Shachar ("I Will Awaken Dawn"), a collection of Moroccan baqashot. Curiously, in the original, the meter of the intro is different; it is 3-3-2-2-2 until the singer enters. This has been changed in the recording for the dance, where the intro is 3-3-2-2-2-2.

=== The Dance ===

The dance consists of five parts, which Mitch calls "bits" rather than "sections" or "parts". The entire sequence repeats twice and then ends with the second bit in the third repetition.

=== Footnotes ===

<references/>

=== Links ===

The original: Yigal Haroush [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOhhOxzi-bY singing] Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi (includes Hebrew lyrics)

The entire album [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD7TmVj9_9c&list=OLAK5uy_m6i29rGWurRB9AmbPINu05i7Z9EKwkQ_g A'irah Shachar], including other Moroccan baqashot (like Yedid Nefesh) in unusual meters

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_ben_Moses_Najara Rabbi Israel ben Moses Najara] at Wikipedia (English)

The [https://mechon-mamre.org/i/t/t08a17.htm# first book of Samuel, chapter 17] (Hebrew)

{{AussieRokdim |11788 |69fdb7b1fc4cd15a4ece4391}}

{{Dancelists|[[Unusual Meters]]}}

[[Category:Dances]]

__NOTOC__

Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi

2026-06-08T17:28:18Z

Larry: missing paren

Hebrew: ידידי רועי מקימי (My Friend, My Shepard, My Support). Circle dance by [[Mitch Ginsburgh]], 2026.

Each aspect of this work is independently interesting. We take them in order.

=== The Lyrics ===

The words were written by Rabbi Israel ben Moses Najara, who was born in Damascus in about 1555. He later moved to Safed, but after a pogrom there in 1579 his family moved to Gaza,
where Najara eventually succeeded his father as Chief Rabbi of Gaza (a position which is currently vacant).

Najara was among other things a liturgical poet. He wrote hymns, poems, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piyyut piyyutim], sermons, and commentary. His most famous work is likely Yah Ribon Olam, sung by Jews of many traditions on Friday night.

This particular poem, Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi, is an allegory based on sheep and shepherds—indeed, every stanza ends with the word "tzoan" (sheep). There is a fascinating connection with the Tanach: the end of the first stanza is "עַל מִי נָטַשְׁתָּ מְעַט הַצֹּאן" ("with whom have you left those few sheep [in the wilderness]?"). These are the exact words of Eliav, oldest brother of David, upbraiding David for abandoning his post as shepherd to battle Goliath (1 Samuel 17:28). Similar allusions are rife in Najara's works.

(Not everyone was a fan of Najara. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayyim_ben_Joseph_Vital Hayyim Vital], a contemporary and a Kabbalist, attacked Najara, accusing him of using foul language, being a drunkard, being a homosexual, and having sexual relations with non-Jewish women. It's hard to take these denunciations seriously, since Vital based them on mystic revelations rather than on fact. Najara was also criticized for poetry describing God and Israel as a married couple.<ref>There is a longstanding tradition of this metaphor, especially in the Song of Songs; see commentary [https://larry.denenberg.com/song-of-songs.txt here].</ref>)

=== The Music ===

The tune we dance to is a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baqashot baqasha], a song sung in some Sephardic Jewish communities on Shabbat morning from after midnight until dawn, especially in winter when the dawn comes late. The order and structure of the baqashot can be extremely complex. This particular baqasha comes from the Moroccan sequence, which was heavily influence by Najara. In that tradition there is a separate baqasha for each parsha of the Torah. The melody for this dance is the Moroccan baqasha for parshat Vayeira (Genesis 18:1–22:24, including the Akeda). The melodies are taken from Andalusian classical music and popular Arabic tunes, transmitted orally with no specific known composer.

Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi is also sung by Lubavitch to a completely different tune that has its own interesting story.<ref>[https://www.soulwords.org/video/yedidi/ This commentary] on the song by Rabbi Shais Taub includes discussion and performance of the Lubavitch tune.</ref>

The meter of the tune is [[Unusual Meters | unusual]], as is common in the Moroccan tradition of baqashot. It consists of two measures of three beats each followed by four measures of two beats each: 3-3-2-2-2-2. This meter repeats without exception through the entire song, though the pattern is ''very'' hard to hear during the outro.

The recording we dance to is performed by Yigal Haroush, from his album A'ira Shachar ("I Will Awaken Dawn"), a collection of Moroccan baqashot. Curiously, in the original, the meter of the intro is different; it is 3-3-2-2-2 until the singer enters. This has been changed in the recording for the dance, where the intro is 3-3-2-2-2-2.

=== The Dance ===

The dance consists of five parts, which Mitch calls "bits" rather than "sections" or "parts". The entire sequence repeats twice and then ends with the second bit in the third repetition.

=== Footnotes ===

<references/>

=== Links ===

The original: Yigal Haroush [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOhhOxzi-bY singing] Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi (includes Hebrew lyrics)

The entire album [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD7TmVj9_9c&list=OLAK5uy_m6i29rGWurRB9AmbPINu05i7Z9EKwkQ_g A'irah Shachar], including other Moroccan baqashot (like Yedid Nefesh) in unusual meters

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_ben_Moses_Najara Rabbi Israel ben Moses Najara] at Wikipedia (English)

The [https://mechon-mamre.org/i/t/t08a17.htm# first book of Samuel, chapter 17] (Hebrew)

{{AussieRokdim |11788 |69fdb7b1fc4cd15a4ece4391}}

{{Dancelists|[[Unusual Meters]]}}

[[Category:Dances]]

__NOTOC__

Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi

2026-06-08T17:24:15Z

Larry: restructure stuff into footnotes

Hebrew: ידידי רועי מקימי (My Friend, My Shepard, My Support). Circle dance by [[Mitch Ginsburgh]], 2026.

Each aspect of this work is independently interesting. We take them in order.

=== The Lyrics ===

The words were written by Rabbi Israel ben Moses Najara, who was born in Damascus in about 1555. He later moved to Safed, but after a pogrom there in 1579 his family moved to Gaza,
where Najara eventually succeeded his father as Chief Rabbi of Gaza (a position which is currently vacant).

Najara was among other things a liturgical poet. He wrote hymns, poems, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piyyut piyyutim], sermons, and commentary. His most famous work is likely Yah Ribon Olam, sung by Jews of many traditions on Friday night.

This particular poem, Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi, is an allegory based on sheep and shepherds—indeed, every stanza ends with the word "tzoan" (sheep). There is a fascinating connection with the Tanach: the end of the first stanza is "עַל מִי נָטַשְׁתָּ מְעַט הַצֹּאן" ("with whom have you left those few sheep [in the wilderness]?"). These are the exact words of Eliav, oldest brother of David, upbraiding David for abandoning his post as shepherd to battle Goliath (1 Samuel 17:28). Similar allusions are rife in Najara's works.

(Not everyone was a fan of Najara. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayyim_ben_Joseph_Vital Hayyim Vital], a contemporary and a Kabbalist, attacked Najara, accusing him of using foul language, being a drunkard, being a homosexual, and having sexual relations with non-Jewish women. It's hard to take these denunciations seriously, since Vital based them on mystic revelations rather than on fact. Najara was also criticized for poetry describing God and Israel as a married couple.<ref>There is a longstanding tradition of this metaphor, especially in the Song of Songs; see commentary [https://larry.denenberg.com/song-of-songs.txt here].</ref>

=== The Music ===

The tune we dance to is a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baqashot baqasha], a song sung in some Sephardic Jewish communities on Shabbat morning from after midnight until dawn, especially in winter when the dawn comes late. The order and structure of the baqashot can be extremely complex. This particular baqasha comes from the Moroccan sequence, which was heavily influence by Najara. In that tradition there is a separate baqasha for each parsha of the Torah. The melody for this dance is the Moroccan baqasha for parshat Vayeira (Genesis 18:1–22:24, including the Akeda). The melodies are taken from Andalusian classical music and popular Arabic tunes, transmitted orally with no specific known composer.

Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi is also sung by Lubavitch to a completely different tune that has its own interesting story.<ref>[https://www.soulwords.org/video/yedidi/ This commentary] on the song by Rabbi Shais Taub includes discussion and performance of the Lubavitch tune.</ref>

The meter of the tune is [[Unusual Meters | unusual]], as is common in the Moroccan tradition of baqashot. It consists of two measures of three beats each followed by four measures of two beats each: 3-3-2-2-2-2. This meter repeats without exception through the entire song, though the pattern is ''very'' hard to hear during the outro.

The recording we dance to is performed by Yigal Haroush, from his album A'ira Shachar ("I Will Awaken Dawn"), a collection of Moroccan baqashot. Curiously, in the original, the meter of the intro is different; it is 3-3-2-2-2 until the singer enters. This has been changed in the recording for the dance, where the intro is 3-3-2-2-2-2.

=== The Dance ===

The dance consists of five parts, which Mitch calls "bits" rather than "sections" or "parts". The entire sequence repeats twice and then ends with the second bit in the third repetition.

=== Footnotes ===

<references/>

=== Links ===

The original: Yigal Haroush [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOhhOxzi-bY singing] Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi (includes Hebrew lyrics)

The entire album [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD7TmVj9_9c&list=OLAK5uy_m6i29rGWurRB9AmbPINu05i7Z9EKwkQ_g A'irah Shachar], including other Moroccan baqashot (like Yedid Nefesh) in unusual meters

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_ben_Moses_Najara Rabbi Israel ben Moses Najara] at Wikipedia (English)

The [https://mechon-mamre.org/i/t/t08a17.htm# first book of Samuel, chapter 17] (Hebrew)

{{AussieRokdim |11788 |69fdb7b1fc4cd15a4ece4391}}

{{Dancelists|[[Unusual Meters]]}}

[[Category:Dances]]

__NOTOC__

Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi

2026-06-07T17:07:31Z

Larry: wordsmithing

Hebrew: ידידי רועי מקימי (My Friend, My Shepard, My Support). Circle dance by [[Mitch Ginsburgh]], 2026.

Each aspect of this work is independently interesting. We take them in order.

=== The Lyrics ===

The words were written by Rabbi Israel ben Moses Najara, who was born in Damascus in about 1555. He later moved to Safed, but after a pogrom there in 1579 his family moved to Gaza,
where Najara eventually succeeded his father as Chief Rabbi of Gaza (a position which is currently vacant).

Najara was among other things a liturgical poet. He wrote hymns, poems, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piyyut piyyutim], sermons, and commentary. His most famous work is likely Yah Ribon Olam, sung by Jews of many traditions on Friday night.

This particular poem, Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi, is an allegory based on sheep and shepherds—indeed, every stanza ends with the word "tzoan" (sheep). There is a fascinating connection with the Tanach: the end of the first stanza is "עַל מִי נָטַשְׁתָּ מְעַט הַצֹּאן" ("with whom have you left those few sheep [in the wilderness]?"). These are the exact words of Eliav, oldest brother of David, upbraiding David for abandoning his post as shepherd to battle Goliath (1 Samuel 17:28). Similar allusions are rife in Najara's works.

(Not everyone was a fan of Najara. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayyim_ben_Joseph_Vital Hayyim Vital], a contemporary and a Kabbalist, attacked Najara, accusing him of using foul language, being a drunkard, being a homosexual, and having sexual relations with non-Jewish women. It's hard to take these denunciations seriously, since Vital based them on mystic revelations rather than on fact. Najara was also criticized for poetry describing God and Israel as a married couple, but there is a longstanding tradition of this metaphor, especially in the [https://larry.denenberg.com/song-of-songs.txt allegorical translation of the Song of Songs].)

=== The Music ===

The tune we dance to is a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baqashot baqasha], a song sung in some Sephardic Jewish communities on Shabbat morning from after midnight until dawn, especially in winter when the dawn comes late. The order and structure of the baqashot can be extremely complex. This particular baqasha comes from the Moroccan sequence, which was heavily influence by Najara. In that tradition there is a separate baqasha for each parsha of the Torah. The melody for this dance is the Moroccan baqasha for parshat Vayeira (Genesis 18:1–22:24, including the Akeda).
Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi is also sung by Lubavitch to a completely different tune that has its own interesting story.

The meter of the tune is [[Unusual Meters | unusual]], as is common in the Moroccan tradition of baqashot. It consists of two measures of three beats each followed by four measures of two beats each: 3-3-2-2-2-2. This meter repeats without exception through the entire song, though the pattern is ''very'' hard to hear during the outro.

The recording we dance to is by Yigal Haroush, from his album A'ira Shachar ("I Will Awaken Dawn"), a collection of Moroccan baqashot. Curiously, in the original, the meter of the intro is different; it is 3-3-2-2-2 until the singer enters. This has somehow been "fixed" in the recording for the dance, where the intro is also 3-3-2-2-2-2.

=== The Dance ===

The dance consists of five parts, which Mitch calls "bits" rather than "sections" or "parts". The entire sequence repeats twice and then ends with the second bit in the third repetition.

=== Links ===

The original: Yigal Haroush [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOhhOxzi-bY singing] Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi (includes Hebrew lyrics)

The entire album [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD7TmVj9_9c&list=OLAK5uy_m6i29rGWurRB9AmbPINu05i7Z9EKwkQ_g A'irah Shachar], including other Moroccan baqashot (like Yedid Nefesh) in unusual meter

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_ben_Moses_Najara Rabbi Israel ben Moses Najara] at Wikipedia (English)

[https://www.soulwords.org/video/yedidi/ Commentary] on the song by Rabbi Shais Taub (but beware: he's talking about the Lubavitch melody, not the Moroccan baqasha)

The [https://mechon-mamre.org/i/t/t08a17.htm# first book of Samuel, chapter 17] (Hebrew)

{{AussieRokdim |11788 |69fdb7b1fc4cd15a4ece4391}}

{{Dancelists|[[Unusual Meters]]}}

[[Category:Dances]]

__NOTOC__

Boston Israeli Dance Festival

2026-06-06T13:11:00Z

Larry: Ayla

The Israel Folkdance Festival of Boston was sprouted in 1977 based on the founders' wish to create a great thing by sharing. The Festival continues to be organized on a volunteer basis by the Board of the Directors and the performers. It is sponsored by Campus Activities Complex at MIT.

Every Festival is preceded by a free and open to the public dance and ice cream party held the night before, typically in the Newton or Brookline area.

The [https://www.bostonfestival.org/festival-committee.html Board of Directors] as of 2022 is:
*David Beckman
*Aaron Bental (né Beckman)
*Janie Chefitz
*Shira Frager
*Susan Gruber
*Ruth Leah Kahan
*George Kirby
*Alexis Maharam
*Renee Myers
*Lianne Philipp (née Gross)
*Ira Vishner
*Rina Wagman

'''Interesting Facts'''

* The youngest person ever to be part of a Festival group (other than babies still in the womb) was Ayla Denenberg, who took part in the 2005 Festival as a member of Sucaria, [[Becca Rausch]]'s parent-child group, at the age of 46 days. However, Ayla was more of a prop than a performer: she was carried onstage by [[Larry Denenberg | her father]], oblivious to the applause.

'''Related Links:'''

Israel Folkdance Festival of Boston's [https://bostonfestival.org/ website] and [https://www.facebook.com/bostonfestival Facebook page]

The festivals [https://www.bostonfestival.org/programs-from-previous-years.html program archive], containing a reproduction of the program of every past Festival.

[[Category:Events]]

Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi

2026-06-06T02:24:12Z

Larry: typos

Hebrew: ידידי רועי מקימי (My Friend, My Shepard, My Support). Circle dance by [[Mitch Ginsburgh]], 2026.

Each aspect of this work is independently interesting. We take them in order.

=== The Lyrics ===

The words were written by Rabbi Israel ben Moses Najara, who was born in Damascus in about 1555. He later moved to Safed, but after a pogrom in 1579 his family moved to Gaza,
where Najara eventually succeeded his father as Chief Rabbi of Gaza (a position which is currently vacant).

Najara was among other things a liturgical poet. He wrote hymns, poems, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piyyut piyyutim], sermons, and commentary. His most famous work is likely Yah Ribon Olam, sung by Jews of many traditions on Friday night.

This particular poem, Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi, is an allegory based on sheep and shepherds—indeed, every stanza ends with the word "tzoan" (sheep). There is a fascinating connection with the Tanach: the end of the first stanza is "עַל מִי נָטַשְׁתָּ מְעַט הַצֹּאן" ("with whom have you left those few sheep [in the wilderness]"). These are the exact words of Eliav, oldest brother of David, upbraiding David for abandoning his post as shepherd to battle Goliath (1 Samuel 17:28). Similar allusions are rife in Najara's works.

(Not everyone was a fan of Najara. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayyim_ben_Joseph_Vital Hayyim Vital], a contemporary and a Kabbalist, attacked Najara, accusing him of using foul language, being a drunkard, being a homosexual, and having sexual relations with non-Jewish women. It's hard to take these denunciations seriously, since Vital based them on mystic revelations rather than on fact. Najara was also criticized for poetry describing God and Israel as a married couple, but there is a longstanding tradition of this metaphor, especially in the [https://larry.denenberg.com/song-of-songs.txt allegorical translation of the Song of Songs].)

=== The Music ===

The tune we dance to is a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baqashot baqasha], a song sung in some Sephardic Jewish communities on Shabbat morning from after midnight until dawn, especially in winter when the dawn comes late. The order and structure of the baqashot can be extremely complex. This particular baqasha comes from the Moroccan sequence, which was heavily influence by Najara. In that tradition there is a separate baqasha for each parsha of the Torah; the melody for this dance is the Moroccan baqasha for parshat Vayeira (Genesis 18:1–22:24, including the Akeda).
Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi is also sung by Lubavitch to a completely different tune that has its own interesting story.

The meter of the tune is [[Unusual Meters | unusual]], as is common in the Moroccan tradition of baqashot. It consists of two measures of three beats each followed by four measures of two beats each: 3-3-2-2-2-2. This meter repeats without exception through the entire song, though the pattern is ''very'' hard to hear during the outro.

The recording we dance to is by Yigal Haroush, from his album A'ira Shachar ("I Will Awaken Dawn"), a collection of Moroccan baqashot. Curiously, in the original, the meter of the intro is different; it is 3-3-2-2-2 until the singer enters. This has somehow been "fixed" in the recording for the dance, where the intro is also 3-3-2-2-2-2.

=== The Dance ===

The dance consists of five parts, which Mitch calls "bits" rather than "sections" or "parts". The entire sequence repeats twice and then ends with the second bit in the third repetition.

=== Links ===

The original: Yigal Haroush [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOhhOxzi-bY singing] Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi (includes Hebrew lyrics)

The entire album [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD7TmVj9_9c&list=OLAK5uy_m6i29rGWurRB9AmbPINu05i7Z9EKwkQ_g A'irah Shachar], including other Moroccan baqashot (like Yedid Nefesh) in unusual meter

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_ben_Moses_Najara Rabbi Israel ben Moses Najara] at Wikipedia (English)

[https://www.soulwords.org/video/yedidi/ Commentary] on the song by Rabbi Shais Taub (but beware: he's talking about the Lubavitch melody, not the Moroccan baqasha)

The [https://mechon-mamre.org/i/t/t08a17.htm# first book of Samuel, chapter 17] (Hebrew)

{{AussieRokdim |11788 |69fdb7b1fc4cd15a4ece4391}}

{{Dancelists|[[Unusual Meters]]}}

[[Category:Dances]]

__NOTOC__

Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi

2026-06-06T02:21:04Z

Larry: criticism of najara; minor edits

Hebrew: ידידי רועי מקימי (My Friend, My Shepard, My Support). Circle dance by [[Mitch Ginsburgh]], 2026.

Each aspect of this work is independently interesting. We take them in order.

=== The Lyrics ===

The words were written by Rabbi Israel ben Moses Najara, who was born in Damascus in about 1555. He later moved to Safed, but after a pogrom in 1579 his family moved to Gaza,
where Najara eventually succeeded his father as Chief Rabbi of Gaza (a position which is currently vacant).

Najara was among other things a liturgical poet. He wrote hymns, poems, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piyyut piyyutim], sermons, and commentary. His most famous work is likely Yah Ribon Olam, sung by Jews of many traditions on Friday night.

This particular poem, Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi, is an allegory based on sheep and shepherds—indeed, every stanza ends with the word "tzoan" (sheep). There is a fascinating connection with the Tanach: the end of the first stanza is "עַל מִי נָטַשְׁתָּ מְעַט הַצֹּאן" ("with whom have you left those few sheep [in the wilderness]"). These are the exact words of Eliav, oldest brother of David, upbraiding David for abandoning his post as shepherd to battle Goliath (1 Samuel 17:28). Similar allusions are rife in Najara's works.

(Not everyone was a fan of Najara. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayyim_ben_Joseph_Vital Hayyim Vital], a contemporary and a Kabbalist, attacked Najara, accusing him of using foul language, being a drunkard, being a homosexual, and having sexual relations with non-Jewish women. It's hard to take these denunciations seriously, since Vital based them on mystic revelations rather than on fact. Najara was also criticized for poetry describing God and Israel as a married couple, but there is a longstanding tradition of this metaphor, especially in the [https://larry.denenberg.com/song-of-songs.txt allegorical translation of the Song of Songs].)

=== The Music ===

The tune we dance to is a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baqashot baqasha], a song sung in some Sephardic Jewish communities on Shabbat morning from after midnight until dawn, especially in winter when the dawn comes late. The order and structure of the baqashot can be extremely complex. This particular baqasha comes from the Moroccan sequence, which was heavily influence by Najara. In that tradition there is a separate baqasha for each parsha of the Torah; the melody for this dance is the Moroccan baqasha for parshat Vayeira (Genesis 18:1–22:24, including the Akeda).
Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi is also sung by Lubavitch to a completely different tune that has its own interesting story.

The meter of the tune is [[Unusual Meters | unusual]], as is common in the Moroccan tradition of baqashot. It consists of two measures of three beats each followed by four measures of two beats each: 3-3-2-2-2-2. This meter repeats without exception through the entire song, though the pattern is ''very'' hard to hear during the outro.

The recording we dance to is by Yigal Haroush, from his album A'ira Shachar ("I Will Awaken Dawn"), a collection of Moroccan baqashot. Curiously, in the original, the meter of the intro is different; it is 3-3-2-2-2 until the singer enters. This has somehow been "fixed" in the recording for the dance, where the intro too is 3-3-2-2-2-2.

=== The Dance ===

The dance consists of five parts, which Mitch calls "bits" rather than "sections" or "parts". The entire sequence repeats twice and then ends with the seccond bit in the third repetition.

=== Links ===

The original: Yigal Haroush [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOhhOxzi-bY singing] Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi (includes Hebrew lyrics)

The entire album [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD7TmVj9_9c&list=OLAK5uy_m6i29rGWurRB9AmbPINu05i7Z9EKwkQ_g A'irah Shachar], including other Moroccan baqashot (like Yedid Nefesh) in unusual meter

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_ben_Moses_Najara Rabbi Israel ben Moses Najara] at Wikipedia (English)

[https://www.soulwords.org/video/yedidi/ Commentary] on the song by Rabbi Shais Taub (but beware: he's talking about the Lubavitch melody, not the Moroccan baqasha)

The [https://mechon-mamre.org/i/t/t08a17.htm# first book of Samuel, chapter 17] (Hebrew)

{{AussieRokdim |11788 |69fdb7b1fc4cd15a4ece4391}}

{{Dancelists|[[Unusual Meters]]}}

[[Category:Dances]]

__NOTOC__

Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi

2026-06-06T01:50:08Z

Larry: wordsmithing

Hebrew: ידידי רועי מקימי (My Friend, My Shepard, My Support). Circle dance by [[Mitch Ginsburgh]], 2026.

Each aspect of this work is independently interesting. We take them in order.

=== The Lyrics ===

The words were written by Rabbi Israel ben Moses Najara, who was born in Damascus in about 1555. He later moved to Safed, but after a pogrom in 1579 his family moved to Gaza,
where Najara eventually succeeded his father as Chief Rabbi of Gaza (a position which is currently vacant).

Najara was among other things a liturgical poet. He wrote hymns, poems, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piyyut piyyutim], sermons, and commentary. His most famous work is likely Yah Ribon Olam, sung by Jews of many traditions on Friday night.

This particular poem, Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi, is an allegory based on sheep and shepherds—indeed, every stanza ends with the word "tzoan" (sheep). There is a fascinating connection with the Tanach: the end of the first stanza is "עַל מִי נָטַשְׁתָּ מְעַט הַצֹּאן" ("with whom have you left those few sheep [in the wilderness]"). These are the exact words of Eliav, oldest brother of David, upbraiding David for abandoning his post as shepherd to battle Goliath (1 Samuel 17:28). Similar allusions are rife in Najara's works.

=== The Music ===

The tune we dance to is a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baqashot baqasha], a song sung in some Sephardic Jewish communities on Shabbat morning from the early hours of the morning until dawn, especially in winter when the dawn comes late. The order and structure of the baqashot can be extremely complex. This particular baqasha comes from the Moroccan tradition, which was heavily influence by Najara. In that tradition, there is a separate baqasha for each parsha of the Torah, and in fact the melody for the dance is the Moroccan baqasha for parshat Vayera.
(Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi is also sung by Lubavitch to a completely different tune that has its own interesting story.)

The meter of the tune is [[Unusual Meters | unusual]], as is common in the Moroccan tradition of baqashot. It consists of two measures of three beats each followed by four measures of two beats each: 3-3-2-2-2-2. This meter repeats without exception through the entire song, though the pattern is ''very'' hard to hear during the outro.

The recording we dance to is by Yigal Haroush, from his album A'ira Shachar ("I Will Awaken Dawn"), a collection of Moroccan baqashot. Curiously, in the original, the meter of the intro is different; it is 3-3-2-2-2 until the singer enters. This has somehow been "fixed" in the recording for the dance, where the intro too is 3-3-2-2-2-2.

=== The Dance ===

The dance consists of five parts, which Mitch calls "bits" rather than "sections" or "parts". The entire sequence repeats twice and then ends with the seccond bit in the third repetition.

=== Links ===

The original: Yigal Haroush [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOhhOxzi-bY singing] Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi (includes Hebrew lyrics)

The entire album [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD7TmVj9_9c&list=OLAK5uy_m6i29rGWurRB9AmbPINu05i7Z9EKwkQ_g A'irah Shachar], including other Moroccan baqashot (like Yedid Nefesh) all in interesting meters

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_ben_Moses_Najara Rabbi Israel ben Moses Najara] at Wikipedia (English)

[https://www.soulwords.org/video/yedidi/ Commentary] on the song by Rabbi Shais Taub (but beware: he's talking about the Lubavitch melody, not the Moroccan baqasha)

The [https://mechon-mamre.org/i/t/t08a17.htm# first book of Samuel, chapter 17] (Hebrew)

{{AussieRokdim |11788 |69fdb7b1fc4cd15a4ece4391}}

{{Dancelists|[[Unusual Meters]]}}

[[Category:Dances]]

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Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi

2026-06-06T01:49:04Z

Larry: Created page with "Hebrew: ידידי רועי מקימי (My Friend, My Shepard, My Support). Circle dance by Mitch Ginsburgh, 2026. Each part of this dance is independently interesting. We take them in order. === The Lyrics === The words were written by Rabbi Israel ben Moses Najara, who was born in Damascus in about 1555. He later moved to Safed, but after a pogrom in 1579 his family moved to Gaza, where Najara eventually succeeded his father as Chief Rabbi of Gaza (a position wh..."

Hebrew: ידידי רועי מקימי (My Friend, My Shepard, My Support). Circle dance by [[Mitch Ginsburgh]], 2026.

Each part of this dance is independently interesting. We take them in order.

=== The Lyrics ===

The words were written by Rabbi Israel ben Moses Najara, who was born in Damascus in about 1555. He later moved to Safed, but after a pogrom in 1579 his family moved to Gaza,
where Najara eventually succeeded his father as Chief Rabbi of Gaza (a position which is currently vacant).

Najara was among other things a liturgical poet. He wrote hymns, poems, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piyyut piyyutim], sermons, and commentary. His most famous work is likely Yah Ribon Olam, sung by Jews of many traditions on Friday night.

This particular poem, Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi, is an allegory based on sheep and shepherds—indeed, every stanza ends with the word "tzoan" (sheep). There is a fascinating connection with the Tanach: the end of the first stanza is "עַל מִי נָטַשְׁתָּ מְעַט הַצֹּאן" ("with whom have you left those few sheep [in the wilderness]"). These are the exact words of Eliav, oldest brother of David, upbraiding David for abandoning his post as shepherd to battle Goliath (1 Samuel 17:28). Similar allusions are rife in Najara's works.

=== The Music ===

The tune we dance to is a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baqashot baqasha], a song sung in some Sephardic Jewish communities on Shabbat morning from the early hours of the morning until dawn, especially in winter when the dawn comes late. The order and structure of the baqashot can be extremely complex. This particular baqasha comes from the Moroccan tradition, which was heavily influence by Najara. In that tradition, there is a separate baqasha for each parsha of the Torah, and in fact the melody for the dance is the Moroccan baqasha for parshat Vayera.
(Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi is also sung by Lubavitch to a completely different tune that has its own interesting story.)

The meter of the tune is [[Unusual Meters | unusual]], as is common in the Moroccan tradition of baqashot. It consists of two measures of three beats each followed by four measures of two beats each: 3-3-2-2-2-2. This meter repeats without exception through the entire song, though the pattern is ''very'' hard to hear during the outro.

The recording we dance to is by Yigal Haroush, from his album A'ira Shachar ("I Will Awaken Dawn"), a collection of Moroccan baqashot. Curiously, in the original, the meter of the intro is different; it is 3-3-2-2-2 until the singer enters. This has somehow been "fixed" in the recording for the dance, where the intro too is 3-3-2-2-2-2.

=== The Dance ===

The dance consists of five parts, which Mitch calls "bits" rather than "sections" or "parts". The entire sequence repeats twice and then ends with the seccond bit in the third repetition.

=== Links ===

The original: Yigal Haroush [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOhhOxzi-bY singing] Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi (includes Hebrew lyrics)

The entire album [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD7TmVj9_9c&list=OLAK5uy_m6i29rGWurRB9AmbPINu05i7Z9EKwkQ_g A'irah Shachar], including other Moroccan baqashot (like Yedid Nefesh) all in interesting meters

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_ben_Moses_Najara Rabbi Israel ben Moses Najara] at Wikipedia (English)

[https://www.soulwords.org/video/yedidi/ Commentary] on the song by Rabbi Shais Taub (but beware: he's talking about the Lubavitch melody, not the Moroccan baqasha)

The [https://mechon-mamre.org/i/t/t08a17.htm# first book of Samuel, chapter 17] (Hebrew)

{{AussieRokdim |11788 |69fdb7b1fc4cd15a4ece4391}}

{{Dancelists|[[Unusual Meters]]}}

[[Category:Dances]]

__NOTOC__

Unusual Meters

2026-06-05T11:46:01Z

Larry: Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi

__NOTOC__
On this page you can find a collection of dances to songs with unusual meter, phrasing, or musical construction.

For our purposes "usual" means measures of two, three, four, or six beats, grouped in phrases of two, four, six, or eight bars.

A further explanation can be found below the lists of dances.

==== Asymmetrical Meters ====

Please keep this table in order by meter, then alphabetically by name of dance.

{| class="wikitable"
! Dance Name !! Main Meter(s) !! With a Few Measures In !! Notes on Meter and Phrasing
|-
| Eich Olam Mamshich || 5/8 (3-2) || ||
|-
| Machur Al Yevanit || 5/8 (3-2) || 2/4 || In the first part, the last measure of each phrase in the first part is in 2/4.
|-
| Ahava Shelanu || 7/8 (3-2-2) || ||
|-
| Bachulsha Shelcha || 7/8 (3-2-2) || || The pivots at the end of part 2 cut across measures, effectively making them 2-2-3.
|-
| Da'asa (Moshiko) || 7/8 (3-2-2) || ||
|-
| Da'asa (Yakovee) || 7/8 (3-2-2) || ||
|-
| Darbashiya || 7/8 (3-2-2) || 5/8 (3-2) || The third measure of the third part is 5/8.
|-
| Halleluya (Bitton) || 7/8 (3-2-2) || 4/4 || First and third sections in 7/8, middle section in 4/4.
|-
| [[Halleluyah L'Gal]] || 7/8 (3-2-2) || || The first and third part consist of phrases with five measures each.
|-
| Mecholot Damar || 7/8 (3-2-2) || 4/4 || First section in 4/4, second and third sections in 7/8.
|-
| Reiach Tapuach Odem Shani || 7/8 (3-2-2) || ||
|-
| Yesh Lanu Ketzev || 7/8 (3-2-2) || ||
|-
| Laz || 7/8 (2-2-3) || ||
|-
| Isha Al HaChof || 9/8 (3-2-2-2) || ||
|-
| Sovev Gal Gal || 12/8 (3-2-2-3-2) || || Could be counted as 6. Further discussion in [[Music vs Dance|Music vs Dance.]]
|-
| [[Yedidi Ro'i Mekimi]] || 14/8 (3-3-2-2-2-2) || ||
|}

==== Unusual Songs: Unusual Phrasing, Extra Beats, Changes in Meter ====

Many dances have an unusual meter which isn't asymmetrical or additive, or have unusual phrasing, extra or missing beats, changes in meter, etc. Due to the number of dances which exhibit multiple traits on this list, please keep this table in alphabetical order, and explain the musicality in the appropriate fields.

{| class="wikitable"
! Dance Name !! Main Meter(s) !! With a Few Measures In !! Notes on Meter and Phrasing
|-
| Anavai || 2/4 || 3/4 || The second part has a phrase of 8 followed by a phrase of 9, the last measure being 3/4 to give an extra beat.
|-
| BeLeilot HaKaitz HaChamim || 2/4 || || First part counted 4-4 and repeated, second part is counted 4-2-4-4 and repeated.
|-
| Chamsa || 4/4 || || The first section has (appropriately) five phrases of two measures each, and the last section is a phrase of nine measures.
|-
| Chazaka MeHaRuach || 4/4 || || Part I is simply a phrase of eight measures, repeated. Part II starts with a phrase of four measures, but instead of a simple repeat the phrase becomes nine measures.
|-
| [[Chof Shaket]] || 3/4 || || The first section has two phrases of eight measures each, while the second section is a phrase of nine measures.
|-
| Derech Eretz HaShaked || 2/3 & 2/4 || || First part has two phrases of 6-6-6-8, second part has phrases of 5-6-5-6 and then 6-6-6-8. The first group of 6-6-6 are made from 2/4 measures for a straight feel, the 6-6-6 in the second part is made from 3/4 measures for a waltz feel.
|-
| [[Dror Yikra]] || 2/4 || 3/4 || First part counts 6-8, second part counts 9-6-8. The third measure of the second part is 3/4 (7-8-9 of the phrase).
|-
| Eretz Israel Yafa || 3/4 || 4/4 || Mostly in 3/4 - last phrase of the chorus ends in a measure of 4/4, giving an extra beat.
|-
| Et HaGeshem || 3/4 || 4/4 || Mostly in 3/4 - last measure of the first phrase is 4/4, giving an extra beat.
|-
| Gozi Li || 7/4 & 4/4 || || First part is in 7/4 (or one measure each of 4/4 and 3/4), second part is in 4/4.
|-
| HaChinanit || 4/4 || 2/4 || The second part has an extra measure of 2/4 at the end. However, the dance behaves differently, see [[Music vs Dance|Music vs Dance.]]
|-
| HaReshut || 4/4 || 2/4 || First three parts have 4 measures of 4 beats, last part has 10 measures of 2 beats.
|-
| [[Hashual]] || 4/4 || 3/4 || In the first section, three of the eight measures are in 3/4, feeling like a missing beat. (Perhaps better: The first section is four measures of 7/4, with an extra beat after the second measure.)
|-
| Hora Mamtera || 3/2 (6/4) & 4/4 || || First part is in 6/4, the rest in 4/4. The sheet music is written in 3/2, which is equivelant to 6/4, and it could be expressed either way. For the sake of keeping the dancer's beat the same, it makes more sense to count it as 6.
|-
| K'Agadat Rivka || 4/4 || 2/4 || First part is 4 measures of 4/4. Second part counts 4-4-4-2-4-4, then 4-4-4-4-4, that is, there's a measure of 2/4 inserted into the first repeat of a five-measure phrase.
|-
| Mezare Israel || 6/8, 2/4, 4/4, 3/4 || || First part counts 3-3-4, (one measure of 6/8, one of 2/4), and the second part counts 4-4-4-4-4-4-4-2 (three measures of 4/4, one of 3/4).
|-
| Mishal || 6/4 & 4/4 || || First part counts 6-6-6-6-6, second part counts 8-8-8-8. Dance is different, see [[Music vs Dance|Music vs Dance.]]
|-
| Mor VeKinamon || 2/4 & 3/4 || || First part counts 6-6-6-5, second part counts 8-7-8-8.
|-
| Nitzanim Niru Ba'Aretz || 2/4 || 3/4 || The last measure of the first section is in 3/4, giving an extra beat. The first section phrases as 6-7, the second section as 8-8.
|-
| [[Ozi V'Zimrat Yah]] (Uzi) || 7/4 & 6/4 || || First part is in 7, second part is in 6. Further discussion at [[Music vs Dance|Music vs Dance.]]
|-
| [[Shibolei Paz]] || 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 || || First part counts 4-4-4-2 and repeats, secound part counts 4-4-4-3-4-4-4-2
|-
| [[Shir HaHaflaga]] || 2/4 & 3/4 || || Eight phrases, with counds 10-12-9-11-13-12-13-12. The Dance fits to this in a very complex way, see [[Shir HaHaflaga|here.]])
|-
| Shiru HaShir || 4/4 || 3/4 || The second measure of the first section is in 3/4, feeling like a missing beat.
|-
| Tikvateinu || 4/4 || || The first part is a phrase of seven measures.
|-
| VaYeven Uziyahu || 4/4 || 2/4 || In the second part, there's an extra measure of 2/4. First part counts 8-8, second part counts 8-2-8
|-
| VaYnikehu || 2/4 & 5/4 || || The first part counts 4-4-4-2, the second counts as 5-5-5-4
|-
| Ya Raya || 2/4 || || Every phrase in the song consists of five measures, for a count of 10 beats per phrase.
|-
| Zemer Ikarim || 5/4 || || Entirely in 5/4.
|}

==== Introduction to Meter ====

When counting music, the small repeating cycle of the percussion, bass, and sometimes melody which tells us where to start over and count again from 1 is known as the measure. Measures can be of different sizes; for example, most measures consist of four counts, or beats, but a waltz song will have only three beats to each measure. These measures can be described in time signatures, a pair of numbers which explains how many notes are in each measure. The bottom number tells you what size notes you're using, and the top number tells you how many are in each measure. A time signature is not the same thing as a meter. For example, the time signature 9/8 could express two or more different types of meter. Rhythm and meter are also related, but distinct - for example, a 7/8 with a metric construction of 3-2-2 could be accented to produce several different traditional rhythms. Meter, then, can be thought of as being halfway between time signature and rhythm. There are three major groups of meters: simple, compound, and asymmetrical, all of which have made their way into the music of Israeli dance. Meter can also be grouped by number; for example, all meters divisible by two are said to be duple meters, and meters divisible by three are triple.

==== Simple Meters ====

Simple meters are composed of quarter notes (so the base number will always be 4), with the number of beats in each measure being the top number, and the number we count to. A beat composed of one quarter note is called a simple beat, hence the name of the meter. The three most common simple meters are 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4.
*A simple 2/4 can be thought of as a "march," like Ahavat HaChayalim.
*A simple 3/4 can be though of as a "waltz," like Yedid Nefesh.
*A simple 4/4 is called common time, the most used meter both worldwide and in Israeli dance.
*We can also have "simple" meters of different numbers, for example 5/4 (like Zemer Ikarim), 6/4 (like the beginning of Hora Mamtera), or even higher.

==== Compound Meters ====

Compound meters are composed of eighth notes (so the base number will always be 8), with the total number of eight notes in each measure being the top number. A compound beat is composed of three eighth notes (making it 1.5 times the length of a quarter note). Compound beats are so named because they give both a triplet feel (by counting all three eighth notes) or a straight feel (by counting each group of three as one beat). Compound meters include 6/8 (like a Viennese waltz), 9/8 (like an Irish slip jig), and 12/8 (like an American swing or jazz song).
*Compound 6/8 can be counted as 123456123456 (like Ani Eshtagea), or as 1--2--1--2-- (like Yoreket Esh), with a swinging triplet feel.
*Compound 9/8 can be thought of as a "double waltz" - you have three big beats per measure, and each of those divides into three smaller beats. It's usually counted as 1&a2&a3&a, but you could technically count eight notes for 123456789. It doesn't occur in any Israeli dances (that we're aware of), but is often found in the slip jig genre of Irish dance.
*Compound 12/8 is almost always counted as 1&a2&a3&a4&a, and the main different between this meter and a plain 4/4 is that 12/8 has a swinging feel because each beat is a compound beat. Examples in Israeli dance include many swing style dances like Im Rak Tavoi BeChamesh, and arguably many Moroccan style songs like Malkat HaChatunot or Mabruk Aleikum.

==== Asymmetrical Meters ====

Asymmetrical or additive meters are composed of both simple beats (one quarter note, equal to two eighth notes) and compound beats (three eighth notes) within the same measure. This means that the beats of these meters are of unequal length, hence the name asymmetrical. Often, these meters are counted in groups of 2s for simple beats and 3s for compound beats, hence the alternative name additive. For example, one might count Isha Al HaChof as 3-2-2-2. Because the smallest unit used in these meters is always the eighth note, the base number is always eight. Usually, the top number is an odd number, such as 5/8, 7/8, or 9/8, but iterations of asymmetrical meters in 8/8, 10/8, and 12/8 also exist.
*Asymmetrical 5/8 is the simplest of its family, and can only be expressed as 3-2 or 2-3. Machur Al Yevanit, the only 5/8 Israeli dance, uses a 3-2 construction.
*Asymmetrical 7/8 is usually expressed as 3-2-2 or 2-2-3. Because of the Yemenite drum rhythm called da'asa, and because of the influence of Greek music (which often favors placing the compound beat at the beginning), most Israeli dances in 7/8 use a 3-2-2 construction, including Darbashiya, Da'asa (both Moshiko's and Yankalee's), Halleluya LeGal, and Reiach Tapuach Odem Shani. A notable exception is Moshiko's Laz, which takes it's music from the Laz region of northern Turkey and uses a 2-2-3 construction and a drum rhythm also called Laz.
*Asymmetrical 8/8 is an asymmetrical meter that, by its nature, adds up to 4/4, and is often counted as such. There are two rhythms in middle eastern music which use this meter, known as wahda and bolero. Bolero is a fairly common rhythm in Israeli dance, showing up in such songs as Al Na Tishal, Tzel Etz Tamar, Pireus, and Ma SheBenainu. Again, it's perfectly logical to count these songs in 4, since the 8/8 rhythms simplify to that number.
*Asymmetrical 9/8 is totally different to compound 9/8, and is usually constructed as 2-2-2-3 (especially in Turkish influenced music) or as 3-2-2-2 (more common in Greek tunes). The only Israeli dance to use an asymmetrical 9/8 is Isha Al HaChof, which, translated from a Greek song, uses the 3-2-2-2 construction of this meter.
*Asymmetrical 12/8 is a very uncommon meter, but does exist in the dance Sovev Gal Gal, in a 3-2-2-3-2 construction (possibly a variation of the Arabic Iqa called Warashan).
*There are many other rhythms and meters of the middle east which fall into this family, including the 10/8 rhythms of Arabia, Armenia, and Turkey (Samai al-Thaqil and Curcuna) and the Arabic iqaat and Turkish usuls. However, as yet, none seem to have been used for music extant in the Israeli dance tradition.

==== Changes in Meter ====

In addition to understanding all these meters, we have to take into account that some songs change meter, whether for major portions of the music or for a single measure. For example, Hora Mamtera begins in 6/4 (sometimes written as 3/2), but in the second part of the dance shifts into a more regular 4/4. Eretz Yisrael Yafa, on the other hand, has only one measure of 4/4 at the end of the chorus, producing an "extra beat." Dror Yikra has the same phenomenon, being a song in 2/4 with a single measure of 3/4 during the second part.

==== Changes in Phrasing ====

Finally, even if a song stays a consistent meter throughout, it might still throw dancers off their normal counts by having unusual phrasing. Most songs have phrases (combinations of measures) which are even, usually in groups of two or four. It's one of the reasons dancers often count to 8. However, particularly in middle eastern music, phrases are sometimes made of a strange number of measures. Halleluya LeGal, for example, is in 7/8 through the whole song, but has five measures in the first and third parts. Tikvateinu has seven measures of 4/4 in its verse, rather than a more typical 8 measures.

==== A Few Common Errors ====

A final consideration when dealing with unusual counts is that dancers sometimes ignore the actual meter and time signature, and count to four or eight. This can result in three phenomena in which dancers don't articulate the reality of the music very well.
*"Extra Beats" vs. Extra Measure - In a 4/4 song, you might have perfectly even phrasing - four beats to a measure, four measures to a phrase - but very often there's an extra measure at the end of a phrase as a way to transition musically (for example, between the verse and chorus of Tagidi Lo, or at the end of part A in Bimkom Prida). Dancers often mistakenly call this "extra beats," when in reality it would be better to say "extra measure." Extra beats would technically mean you have a measure of a greater size, like in Eretz Yisrael Yafa or Dror Yikra.
*"Missing Beats" - Missing beats can certainly exist, in the same way that extra beats can: for instance, if you had a song in 4/4 and you suddenly had a measure of 3/4, that could be thought of as a missing beat. However, often dancers refer to "missing beats" when there was no actual change in meter. For example, in a 2/4 song, dancers sometimes (read: almost always) count to either four or eight, and a phrase of three measures of 2/4 will feel like two measures of 4/4 with two beats suddenly missing.
*"False Changes in Meter" - Similarly the the "missing beats" described above, if a song which is actually in 2/4 is being counted in fours, and there is an extra measure of 2/4, it will seem as if there was a change of meter when actually, none occurred. Usually, the meter of a piece can be ascertained by listening for the smallest repeating pattern in the percussion and/or bass line.

[[Category:Dances]]
[[Category:Dance Lists]]

Circle from Sarid

2026-05-30T13:26:45Z

Larry: typo

Other names: Hora from Sarid (הורה של שריד), Chulu Na (חולו נא) or just Chulu. Circle dance, choreographer unknown, approximately 1945.

The dance is named after [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarid Kibbutz Sarid], near Migdal HaEmek in the Jezreel Valley of northern Israel. The name of the kibbutz is taken from a biblical city mentioned in Joshua 19:10.

The composer of the tune is Ya'akov Ben-Ari, a member of the kibbutz. The lyricist, however, is unknown.

The dance, as Hora Shel Sarid, appears in the first issue of [[Hava Nirkoda (pamphlet) | Hava Nirkoda]], 1949, edited by [[Gurit Kadmon]]. Many variants exist. According to the 1987 [[Folk Dance Problem Solver]], the first publication of the dance in the US was in 1947 by Katya Delakova and [[Fred Berk]].

Another reported name for the dance is VaYechulu.

=== Links ===

The [https://www.zemereshet.co.il/m/song.asp?id=2416 lyrics] to the song

The [https://sarid.org.il/ website] of Kibbutz Sarid (Hebrew)

{{AussieRokdim |9412 |5abd2509db533264348b4e3b}}

[[Category:Dances]]

Ha'Ir Be'Afor

2026-05-30T13:23:00Z

Larry: Arm movements from Irit

Hebrew: העיר באפור (The City in Grey). Circle dance by [[Moshe Eskayo]], 1968. (The Aussie Database [https://www.israelidances.com/search.asp?S=&ChoreographerName=&PageNo=1&OrderBy=&SearchThis=hair+beafor&Search=Search lists] two other dances with the same title and music, circle dance by Rivka Sturman and partner dance by Dani Dassa, both 1970, including videos. It's not clear if or where these variants are danced.)

The dance is Eskayo's [[First Creations | first]], by his own statement. Dancers frequently add extra turns, for example turning twice instead of once in the middle of part one, or turning two and a half times instead of once and a half in part two.

The music and lyrics are by Naomi Shemer; the "city" that is "in grey" is Paris. Shemer was living in Paris with her daughter Haleli at the time (1964). She was entranced by the song
"Elle était si jolie" by Alain Barrière which won fifth place for France at Eurovision 1963. She wrote the lyrics Ha'Ir Be'Afor for that same tune. She later decided that the lyrics should have their own music and composed the tune we use today for the dance.

The song is directed to Shemer's daughter, who was tired of the greyness of Europe. Shemer is offering to return her to the city of "white houses", namely Tel Aviv. (In 1959 Shemer had written the song Ir Levana ("White City") for Tel Aviv's jubilee year, giving the city its nickname.)

Many years later, Avraham Levi put Hebrew lyrics to Barrière's original music; that song is called BeNetiv M'urpal. It was released on Daklon's album "Yotze Laderech" in 1989 and was used by [[Naftali Kadosh]] for his dance Ahava Asura; more information and links [[Original Music | here]].

In part two, as the arms sweep from side to side, there should be no finger snaps. "The arm movement symbolizes clearing the fog in Paris. Moshe spent a year in Paris before
immigrating to the US. The purpose of his year in Paris was to study Ballet."<ref>Irit Eskayo, personal communication, 30 May 2026</ref>

=== References and Links ===

<references/>

[https://shironet.mako.co.il/artist?type=lyrics&lang=1&prfid=326&wrkid=3262 Hebrew lyrics]

English [https://www.hebrewsongs.com/?song=hairbeafor transliteration and translation]

Ha'ir Be'Afor [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO4ygYgjh2c performed] to its original tune, that of Alain Barrière's "Elle était si jolie", which we know as Ahava Asura

Ofer Gavish's [https://www.gavisho.com/%D7%94%D7%A2%D7%99%D7%A8-%D7%91%D7%90%D7%A4%D7%95%D7%A8 blog post] (in Hebrew) on Ha'Ir Be'Afor, which tells the story in more detail and explores connections with Shemer's song Lichvodcha

{{AussieRokdim |597 |5abd23cbdb53327f3c8b4690}}

{{Dancelists | [[First Creations]] {{·}}  [[Moshe Eskayo's dances]] }}

[[Category:Dances]]

Chanita

2026-05-28T12:14:38Z

Larry: typo

Hebrew: חניתה (Female name, diminutive of Chana; see 1 Samuel chapters 1–2). Circle dance by [[Moshe Eskayo]], 1982.

Eskayo choreographed Chanita for his wife Ann (Hebrew name Chana; her name in English is often misspelled "Anne").

Early on, the dance was often done to the music of David (Dudu) Edery's dance [[Hora Soeret]]. Moshe's daughter Irit explains how this came about:

<blockquote>
It was an early morning session in Pawling in the
late 70s, I guess. Moshe wanted to do a warm up for his session and
"threw together a few steps and turns". Put on Dudu Edery's album<ref>This album, with Hora Soeret
the first track of the first side, is Kalanit: Israeli Folk Dances (DE 002).</ref>
looking for fast music 4/4 rhythm. Hora Soeret [by [[Yosef Milo]]] was the first track on
the record. We danced the "combination" and it was a big hit. People
asked to do it again and again. He knew that there was dance to it and
begged Dudu to sell him the music because Dudu's dance wasn't done. He
refused. So [Moshe] searched for something else but the dancers went
home from camp and started spreading the dance.<ref>Irit Eskayo, personal communication, 26 May 2026</ref>
</blockquote>

Today in many or most venues Chanita is done to a tune called Freilach by [[Ami Gilad]]. ([[Fred Berk]] also choreographed a dance to this music.) It is unclear when and under what circumstances the switch occurred. Reportedly, Chanita is still done to the Hora Soeret music in Israel.

Hora Soeret was introduced at [[Hora Shalom]] 1981, to its own music. Chanita was taught there (to the music of Freilach) in 1982.

=== References ===

<references/>

=== Links ===

{{AussieRokdim |1116 |5abd2378db5332913c8b4590}}

{{Dancelists | [[Eponymous Dances]] {{·}}  [[Moshe Eskayo's dances]] }}

[[Category:Dances]]

Chanita

2026-05-28T12:14:12Z

Larry: Created page with "Hebrew: חניתה (Female name, diminutive of Chana; see 1 Samuel chapters 1–2). Circle dance by Moshe Eskayo, 1982. Eskayo choreographed Chanita for his wife Ann (Hebrew name Chana; her name in English is often misspelled "Anne"). Early on, the dance was often done to the music of David (Dudu) Edery's dance Hora Soeret. Moshe's daughter Irit explains how this came about: <blockquote> It was an early morning session in Pawling in the late 70s, I guess. Mosh..."

Hebrew: חניתה (Female name, diminutive of Chana; see 1 Samuel chapters 1–2). Circle dance by [[Moshe Eskayo]], 1982.

Eskayo choreographed Chanita for his wife Ann (Hebrew name Chana; her name in English is often misspelled "Anne").

Early on, the dance was often done to the music of David (Dudu) Edery's dance [[Hora Soeret]]. Moshe's daughter Irit explains how this came about:

<blockquote>
It was an early morning session in Pawling in the
late 70s, I guess. Moshe wanted to do a warm up for his session and
"threw together a few steps and turns". Put on Dudu Edery's album<ref>This album, with Hora Soeret
the first track of the first side, is Kalanit: Israeli Folk Dances (DE 002).</ref>
looking for fast music 4/4 rhythm. Hora Soeret [by [[Yosef Milo]]] was the first track on
the record. We danced the "combination" and it was a big hit. People
asked to do it again and again. He knew that there was dance to it and
begged Dudu to sell him the music because Dudu's dance wasn't done. He
refused. So [Moshe] searched for something else but the dancers went
home from camp and started spreading the dance.<ref>Irit Eskayo, personal communication, 26 May 2026</ref>
</blockquote>

Today in many or most venues Chanita is done to a tune called Freilach by [[Ami Gilad]]. ([Fred Berk]] also choreographed a dance to this music.) It is unclear when and under what circumstances the switch occurred. Reportedly, Chanita is still done to the Hora Soeret music in Israel.

Hora Soeret was introduced at [[Hora Shalom]] 1981, to its own music. Chanita was taught there (to the music of Freilach) in 1982.

=== References ===

<references/>

=== Links ===

{{AussieRokdim |1116 |5abd2378db5332913c8b4590}}

{{Dancelists | [[Eponymous Dances]] {{·}}  [[Moshe Eskayo's dances]] }}

[[Category:Dances]]

Israel Yakovee

2026-05-23T00:47:11Z