Flowing through the Spring: A Jewish Dance Series

Through this four-part Jewish movement series, we are going to use different modalities of dance to explore and express our Jewish past, present and future. By participating in dances that have been performed for generations, in dances that are new and in dance that has never been done before, these workshops will help participants feel what it means to bring in your whole self in movement through Jewish embodied movement.

Join us as these dynamic local dance masters in SF Bay Area, take us through a series of creative movement. From choreographed, guided movement to expressive free form dance, this series will bring the joy of movement to all, no previous dance experience needed.

Series Schedule: Every other Wednesday at 4pm

April 12 // Gaga, freeform modern Israeli dance with James Graham

April 26 // Ecstatic Dance, free flowing, feel the rhythm movement with Ilene Serlin

May 10 // World Jewish Dance, easy to follow Yemenite, ecstatic Hasidic, joy-busting Klezmer dance and beyond with Bruce Bierman

May 24 // Embodied Dance, conscious dance through themes of The Tree of Life with Julie Emden

First Workshop: Gaga

Gaga is a new movement modality created by the famed choreographer of Batsheva Dance Company, Ohad Naharin. This modality:

….opens blocked passageways

….grows our senses and connect them to physical movement

….connects us to our strength and power

….helps us heal from injuries

….enables us to become more aware of how we move and our habits

Gaga classes are guided movement experiences with no prescribed movements but instead offers prompts such as images, concepts and directions. Movement is maintained for the entire class. We work at our own volume, so whether you rarely move or move every day, Gaga is an accessible exercise.

All are welcome!

Lead by James Graham:

James Graham is a San Francisco based choreographer, performer, and educator. In 2007, Graham first went to Israel to study Gaga, made possible by the Kathryn Karipides Scholarship in Modern Dance. He was chosen by Ohad Naharin (Batsheva Dance Company) to be a Certified Gaga Instructor and to take part in his pilot training program of international Gaga teachers. He has taught Gaga extensively on the West Coast, in the Midwest, as well as in France, Canada, South Korea, Germany, Sweden, Thailand, Greece, Mexico, and Israel. He is currently on faculty in the Department of Theater, Dance, & Performance Studies at the University of California, Berkeley and Dominican University of California/LINES BFA Program, and teaches open Gaga classes.