Chanita
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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:
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[1] 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.[2]
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.
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