Hungary: Szatmári Zsidó Táncok / Jewish Dances from Szatmár (Ethnic Dance Theatre)

Land of Legends | 2017 A modern-day presentation of a couple meeting, the dance starts slowly, building in tempo and intensity as the song progresses. The rhythmic slapping of the boots, called csápás, is used to create percussive accents, and is especially rich in this region. In the northeastern region of Szatmár, (present day Satu Mare, Romania) there lived a large Jewish population until World War II. Their dances were virtually lost, but have been researched, documented and reconstructed by folklorists recently. Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Taub (1744-1821) of Nagykálló, was the first Hassidic Rebbe in Hungary. Known as "the Sweet Singer of Israel", Rabbi Isaac composed many popular Hasidic melodies, often times adapting Hungarian folk songs and adding Jewish words. Possibly his most famous composition, the traditional Hungarian Hasidic tune "Szól a kakas már", is the opening for this piece. Choreography: David Schimmer and Linda Luptakova Musical Arrangement: Colleen Bertsch Costumes: Renée La Course