by Elaine Durbach
NJJN Bureau Chief/Central

August 13, 2009

On a Friday evening on the streets of Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, these two faces of Israeli womanhood would be a common sight — a modestly garbed Orthodox woman hurrying home from shul past a party girl heading out to a night club. But seeing those two images side by side on stage in New Jersey made an extra strong impact.

The teenage members of Jewel, an Israeli dance troupe from Ra’anana, have shaped their show around that kind of contrast. Performing in the gym at the JCC of Central NJ in Scotch Plains on July 6 — designated Israel Day at the JCC’s Camp Yachad — the girls offered a reflection of who they are and the contrasting backgrounds from which they come.

This is what their choreographer, Lidor David, wanted to convey to the campers and their parents. He met many of them two summers ago, when he was himself an Israeli counselor at the camp. He loved the experience, he said last week, and felt he had become “family” with people in the community. And he knew that he wanted to show local kids more of Israel’s mosaic of cultural contrasts.

That idea jelled when he thought about Jewel. He has been working with the young dancers — ages 16 to 19 — for the past three years. They have performed in venues around Israel and have earned a reputation as outstanding hip-hop performers, but he wanted them to have a truly memorable experience to celebrate what they have achieved together — a trip to America.

But, he said, he wanted the show they would bring to the States to be special — a combination of Israeli folk with jazz and ballet. Working with his friend, Ronit Wolicki, who heads up the studio where the girls study dance, and her mother, Anna Wolicki, who designs and makes costumes for them, he came up with his ideal program.

“I wanted to make the most of who they are — coming from all these different places,” he said, “and for them to tell the story of Israel, from Ben Gurion’s declaration of the State of Israel to the present times.”

It took a lot of work. Ronit Wolicki, who was born in California and performed as a professional dancer there a few years back, worked her contacts to arrange performances. David did the same, contacting Camp Yachad codirector Mike Goldstein and other people he had met here.

Given that it was a new company with a new program, they didn’t feel they could charge a fee, and there was no money available from funding sources, so the dancers raised all the money themselves, from their families and from shows and fund-raising evenings while handling their jam-packed routine of school and rehearsals. They did get a break when they received invitations to stay with host families in New Jersey and elsewhere on their month-long trip.

Multifaceted image

Last week, they worked with different groups of kids during the day at Camp Yachad, in addition to performing on Thursday. They were also scheduled to perform at JCCs in West Orange, Bridgewater, and Margate, as well as at Camp Deeny Riback in Flanders, and to spend two weeks in Los Angeles, performing for groups and visiting Disneyland.

In the gym at the Scotch Plains JCC, an audience of over 250 gathered to watch their performance. With music and projections on a big screen behind them, and with a rapid-fire succession of costumes that ranged from Moroccan and Flamenco glamour to army fatigues, from demure white gowns to sassy mini-sundresses, the dancers provided a kaleidoscope of the Israeli experience.

“I am Maggie, from Costa Rica. I found my body and soul in Israel,” proclaimed Maggie Baruch, in a voiceover as she pranced on stage carrying a suitcase, in a dance celebrating aliya. Other dancers announced they came from California, Australia, Brazil, and Portugal. Only a few were sabras, born in Israel. Their religious backgrounds are almost as diverse. Four are Orthodox — and danced wearing flesh-colored tights.

But the members of this ensemble, practicing in every free moment, have forged a common identity. Ronit Wolicki, their teacher and mentor, who, like David, is 27, said that when it comes to dance, her family’s South American roots have been influential in her own style, but she and her dancers all agreed — in all their varying accents — that they regard themselves as Israelis. It was just the multi-faceted image David said he wanted to show the campers.

Goldstein said he was delighted with the dancers. “They put on an amazing show and it was a meaningful connection to Israel,” he said. “I loved the story they told. My favorite piece was the juxtaposition of Shabbat and Tel Aviv nightclub culture. It’s just the kind of choices these young Jewish people wrestle with.”

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