Web site review: IsraeliDances.com

"I don't know who sings it, but I know the dance." This is the response I recieved when asking about an obscure Yemenite-Jewish song from the 1970's.

Where I came from, dancing consisted of jumping up and down while standing in place with one arm raised in the air, or of whipping your hair around in a circle while raising one arm with your index and pinky finger extended. Dancing in Israel, however is another story.

Old movies depict kibbutzniks holding hands and dancing in circles. This culture is still alive and well. Dance classes for old and new styles of Israeli folk dancing can be found in cities throght the country. Even modern songs -- ballads, rap, anything -- have been remixed for Israeli style dance purposes.

IsraeliDances.com is the perfect web site for dance instructors, Israeli music fans, ethnomusicologists, or even for people like me. A detailed and ever growing database lists countless dances by song, singer, choreographer and more. There are even short sound clips and lyrics. The database is in English and in Hebrew.

Check out IsraeliDances.com and find a part of Israeli musical culture that will either bring back fond memories, or introduce you to a new way to appreciate Jewish music.