Yiddish Dance.
Balancing individual expression and community spirit, traditional Yiddish dance is as beautiful as it is fun. With plenty of room for variation, these are dances that everyone can enjoy together. Klezmer music and Yiddish dance go hand-and-hand.
I grew up folk dancing and first studied Yiddish dance at KlezKanada with Michael Alpert and Zev Feldman. Since 2006, I have taught and led Yiddish dance at festivals and events transcontinentally – in North America, Europe, and Russia.
“Ikh halt dikh far dayn hant, nor ikh tants nokh mayn takt.” “I hold you by the hand, but I dance to my own rhythm.” Bronya Sakina (1910-1988)
Dancing Around the World...
I lead Yiddish Dance workshops at festivals and private events internationally.
Past events include:
The Yiddishland Pavilion (Venice Biennale). Krakow Jewish Culture Festival (Poland), Internationales Klezmer Festival Fürth (Germany), Yiddish Summer Weimar (Germany), Jewish Community Center in St Petersburg (Russia), KlezNorth (England)
KlezKanada (Montreal, Quebec), Ashkenaz Festival (Toronto, Ontario), The Montreal Jewish Music Festival (Quebec), The Montreal Baroque Festival (Quebec)
Yiddish New York (New York City), International Dance Flurry Festival (Saratoga Springs, New York), Zlatne Uste Golden Festival (Brooklyn, New York), Klezmerquerque (Albuquerque, New Mexico), Ashokan KlezKamp (New York), Montana Folk Festival (Butte), NEFFA (Massachusetts).
Yiddish Dance in Your Community
The Yiddish Tantshoyz
Bring your whole community to the dance floor to with a TANTSHOYZ (a Yiddish dance party)! Dynamic non-stop music, winding lines, and concentric circles are all part of the Yiddish tantshoyz. No matter the size of the crowd, I aim keep the whole room dancing. A highlight of festivals of all sizes!
Workshops
Empower your community to dance with series of Yiddish dance workshops. I endeavour to instill my Yiddish Dance workshops with a sense of tradition while exploring contemporary approaches to the style. Workshops can be tailored to any number of participants, and any range of ages and levels.
Consulting
Yiddish Movement for Theatre Productions
I work with directors and performers embarking on Yiddish plays and productions rooted in Ashkenazi culture. Including a Yiddish dance workshop early in your rehearsal process can help your ensemble to develop a deeper understanding of Yiddish movement and gesture.
Coaching for Yiddish Dance Leaders
I coach emerging and experienced Yiddish dance leaders on skills and techniques for leading groups of all sizes, pedagogical approaches to the repertoire, and beyond.
Private Workshops
I teach private and small group sessions for artists looking to incorporate Yiddish dance into their creative practice. Each session begins with a consultation and is customized for the individual or group.
Joel GreenbergAvia Moore led dance workshops for Studio 180 Theatre’s production of Indecent (in partnership with Mirvish Productions/CAA Theatre, Sep-Oct 2022). Avia is an ideal collaborator: she understands theatre artists, brings a wealth of experience, listens especially well to questions raised — I recommend her without any reservation.
Sadie Epstein-FineAvia Moore provided me, as the director, and the ensemble of our production of The Dybbuk [at Toronto Metropolitan University] with such a solid foundation in Yiddish folk dance styles. With each dance she taught she provided historical context and tidbits of wisdom that we referenced for the rest of our rehearsal process. She helped the ensemble find a connection to their own spirituality/holiness through movement. Avia was such a gift to our process.
C. Meranda Flachs-SurmanekAfter attending a workshop with her at Yiddish New York, I reached out to Avia to continue learning with her because of her commitment to examining the archive of Yiddish dance, broadening of the form for everybody and every body, and her commitment to Yiddish dance as a group practice. I also love her multidisciplinary background. As a theater artist, I’m excited to see the way that her experience in theater shapes her understanding of the form and approach to teaching.
Adah HetkoAvia coached me in preparation for leading a Yiddish dance class for the first time. She was extremely helpful in guiding me through developing a plan for not only introducing steps and gestures, but also creating an accessible, safe, and joyful experience for participants. The class was a great success, and now, years later, students from the class still remember it very fondly!
Maia BrownWatching Avia dance is a lesson in itself–her carriage and joy in the tradition, and her gentle coaxing of an impossibly long line of celebrants! I have been lucky to study dance leading with Avia for the last few years and appreciate her attention to access and to the way all bodies can move in community when invited with care.
