ZF's Israeli Dance class-CDF Clinic 3/24 (REPORT)

[DeanZF]

<SIZE size="5">Dean's Report...

What can I say? It was a HOOT! :yay:



The folks were responsive and really got into it. As Helena said, Sarah really prepped them for us in addition to giving them good things in her own right. It wasn't her intention really, to "prep them", but it worked out that way. They were able to be a little rowdy :hyper: and get some of their energy and excitement worked off so that they were ready for a quick change-up. We were introduced as teaching "Davidic dance warfare". It wasn't what we signed up for ( :blink: ), but it was appropriate, in a sense :ninja: . We planned to start out with a little live music. Seventy folks, all geared up, one keyboard, and NO MICROPHONES!! :piano: Hmmm. I asked them to become "mime dancers" and they responded like champs. :mute: Told 'em that 70 of them could easily drown her out and they'd get lost, so mime-dancers they were! Worked like a charm.



Helena sang (and I helped a little), and I led them in some simple movements that they could easily teach to a congregation with an appropriate song. Great pew dance, great for people who are intimidated by movement in expression of their honor and love for their God. They "got it" immediately and entered in completely. :wow:



Helena taught a couple of simple step-based circle dances :circledance: to an appreciative audience. They had a good time, learned some, stepped all over themselves and each other, laughed, dug in, and danced their hearts out. I finished up the evening with another little non-choreographed choreography, trying to help them see ways to get the men in their congregations involved. We played a wonderful little Hebrew song, "Yeshlanu Torah!" that is a real celebration of Simchat Torah, the last day and last holiday of the Tabernacles holiday week. Joy in Torah. It's a gently jazzy piece that tells about all that YHWH has given by providing the Law. We encourage the folks to grab a Bible and to Dance with the Word Incarnate by using their written Word as a substitute. :tallit: No given steps, just moving and loving Him, celebrating Him with all of our strength, mind, heart, soul. Great fun, great praise time, and what I thought was some meaningful prayer time afterward. We closed the night with a hofar:



There were a couple of neat testimonies. After Yeshlanu, one of the men said, "We need to be like that ALL the time in our worship. Lifting Him up, dancing with Him like He dances over us. Yeah, ALL that stuff. I learned something!" During one of the circle dances, as it came to a close, what better testimony than a single voice loudly asking, "Hey, can we do that AGAIN?!?!?!?!"



It was a great evening of glorifying God!