ASHRIEL
Israeli folk dance legend Yoav Ashriel due here
By Jewish Review
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Israeli folk dance legend Yoav Ashriel—who choreographed such classic dances as Erev Ba, Hora Nirkoda, Hora Medura Ba’aviv and Layla Layla—will teach some of his famed dances Sept. 14 at the weekly Israeli folk dance held at the Fulton Community Center, 68 SW Miles St.
“He’s one of the older generation choreographers,” said Dudi Amir who leads the dances that meet at 8 p.m. each Sunday at Fulton Park. “He put the roots into Israeli folk dancing in the forties and fifties.”
Amir has taught Israeli folk dancing in Portland for about 20 years. Before moving to Fulton Park, his dance classes and open dancing met at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center for many years until the center curtailed programming before its recent renovation.
Amir said that once every three months he leads a classic folk dance class featuring “oldies.” The 8 p.m.-midnight, Sept. 14 dance will be a rare opportunity to experience those classics with their creator, said Amir.
“If you ever wondered who choreographed the famous Israeli dances Erev Ba, Hora Nirkoda, Hora Medura Ba’aviv and Layla Layla and more ... All these dances are the work of Yoav who will be visiting Portland for the first time,” said Amir. “Come join us for an entire evening of classic Israeli dances. Yoav will be there to teach and talk about his dances.”
Ashriel was born at Kibbutz Ramat David, in the Izra’el Valley, in Israel. He started to play the accordion for Kibbutz performances and folk dance evenings at an early age. In 1947, the Kibbutz sent him as their representative to the first folk dance leadership seminar in Israel led by Gurdit Kadman. From encouragement he received from Kadman, he decided to switch from music to dance.
Ashriel began creating dances and became more and more involved in teaching folk dance. After serving in the army for two years, he left the kibbutz and moved to Tel Aviv. When he married a dancer, the couple began teaching in Tel Aviv nearly every night. He choreographed about 70 dances, some of them very popular.
He has called the melody and the images from his life on the kibbutz the main influence for his dances.
Yo’av directed several performing groups simultaneously and his own group toured Europe.
Cost for the dance is $5 per person. Call Amir at 503-823-3180 to learn more.