Tonight at 7:30 pm, The Idan
Raichel Project graces our landmark stage for a night of world-music and a
wonderful blend of cultures. After
tonight’s two-hour concert, we also invite audience members to join the Chicago
Israeli Dancing organization in our Katten/Landau Studio for an interactive
Israeli folk dance class. Click here for more information about the performance tonight.
A Look Back: Israeli Folk Dancing, Idan Raichel and My Year Spent in Israel
By Auditorium Theatre Production Associate Matthew Tepperman
In anticipation of tonight’s performance of The Idan Raichel Project at
Auditorium Theatre and the subsequent post-show, folk dancing event in the Katten/Landau
Studio held by the Chicago Israeli
Dancing organization, I would like to share a story about myself.
I am not a professional dancer or ballerina at all. In fact, if you met me in person, you’d say
I’m as graceful as an elephant. And
you’d probably be right at that, too; however, there’s something about Israeli
Folk Dancing that makes me feel like I have been a dancer all my life.
When I was eleven years old, I learned about Israeli Folk Dancing
at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin. As campers, my
friends and I each participated in a quick dance class as we were sampling
through all of the arts activities. We learned a few easy dances for the week
before moving onto the next activity. At
the end of the week before the lunch hour, the camp took a half hour of free
time to perform these dances at a large area down by the lake. At that point, those who knew or wanted to
learn the dances would all participate in a really fun afternoon of Israeli Folk
Dancing. There were campers and staff of
all ages that joined in and soon enough, the whole area was filled with folk dancers! I remember as a camper, or even later as a
staff member at Camp Ramah, if it was a Friday afternoon before lunch, I would
be dancing down by Lake Buckatabon with more than half the camp while the rest
watched on. And even after all these
years, I still remember those dances.
Let’s then flashback to eight years ago. I had recently graduated high school and made
the decision to defer my freshman year of college to study and live in Israel
for the year. One of my first memories
of living in Israel is of participating in a great night of Israeli Folk
Dancing. A handful of my friends and I
were walking through Emek Rafaim in Jerusalem and went to one of the school
halls nearby that hosts many nightly programs for adults. When we got there the
room was already full of people dancing in a giant circle. It took a minute to understand
the choreography mid-dance, but as soon I picked it up, I jumped right in and
felt like I had been doing it for years. That’s the great thing about folk dancing: it’s very communal, very fun to
participate in, and anyone can do it.
As someone who has lived in Israel and experienced the
culture and even seen The Idan Raichel Project live in Israel before, I can’t
help but think back to those fond memories. This is mainly because everything The Idan Raichel Project does
musically is so memorable. I can still
recall the past two times I saw him live and what I was doing. The collaboration of additional cultures into
melodies that the group produces, and the amount of energy the singers put into
their performance is almost unparalleled. They always make the experience not just intimate and enjoyable, but
very meaningful as well. As a fan of The
Idan Raichel Project and as someone who has experienced the culture, I cannot
be more thrilled that they will be performing at Auditorium Theatre.
