Bat Amanoot takes both a nostalgic and contemporary dance journey with
Shlomo Bachar.
In keeping with our tribute to Ofra Haza, combined with a celebration of Passover,
Bat Amanoot talked to Mr. Bachar about his dances Shir Hashirim and Tfila both
songs sung by Haza. He shared not only his comments about Ofra Haza's songs
and his choreography, but also an exploration of his creative process.
Note: Shir Hashirim, which is in the Tanach, is read on Passover.
BA: How did you start choreographing dances?
SB: At first I choreographed for Kibbutzim in Israel.
Hashachar was my first dance in the United States, here in California. When
I came to the United States, in 1962, I did Hashachar, all of sudden it was
boom! From all over the United States they started calling me. I choreographed
Hashachar for stage. The music was so beautiful, and I wrote the lyrics. So
I decided to do it for class, it was very successful. That gave me a push to
keep choreographing. Until then, I didn't do too much choreography. So I went
with the times. Israel became an open stage for singers. Everybody had his own
style, more modern, more jazzy, that was more for my taste. This is the way
I produced my records. So I brought the music from Israel Sham Harei Golan (1971)
and Tzadik Katamar (1965), Jonathan Gabay) and some debkas written for me, and
I put them on records, with different instruments like harpsichords. I sold
50,000 records, it was unheard of; that was in the 1970's. I had a friend who
was a composer, Toby David. He produced 14 of my records.
BA: What types of music are you drawn to?
SB: I went through stages in my life in music.
I'm Sephardic and I was very
influenced by the Spanish music. I tried to utilize this music with the music
that I started dancing to at the time, like Rifka Shturman's. But I found out
that our style (Sephardic) of dancing did not go well. It was more of a family-style
dancing. So I started going Biblical and whatever came out in Israel at the
time. That was in the 50's.
BA: One of your very popular circle dances is Shir
Hashirim. How did you decide to choreograph this dance?
SB:I did it first as a couple dance. I introduced
it in Israel, and it didn't
catch. When I introduced it they didn't do too many partner dances. If something
wasn't accepted I dropped it.
Folk dancing is for fun, for self-expression. Then I tried it in a
circle. I went
to Israel the next year. I used to go every year and teach 30 workshops in Israel,
all over the country. Yankele Levy used to arrange it. Starting in the 80's
all the way into the 90's. Mishael (Barzilay) and Yankele arranged workshops
for me. When I came, they took me every place.
The music is so pretty, Shir Hashirim. It's from the Songs of Songs.
I did the
circle and went to Yankele Levy. He had four classes. The first one was beginners.
He said, 'Shlomo, why don't you try this dance with the beginners?' They were
crazy about it. I thought, 'Wait a minute, what's going on here?' You never
know.
BA: How did you change the choreography from the
couple dance for the circle version?
SB:It (couple version) was more Yemenite. At the
time, the Israelis didn't like Yemenite music too much. They went away from
it. Yemenite dances didn't go at the time. Here and there yes. So I was shocked
They said, 'Put it again.’ Yankele said, 'You are going all over the country
teaching this dance.' They did it with 200-300 people. I said, 'Do it with spirit.'
They just loved it all over Israel. They used to call me Mr. Shir Hashirim!
BA: You have another very popular circle
dance called Tfila.
When you first heard the music, how did you decide that you wanted to make a
dance to this music? Did you meet Ofra Haza at that time?
SB: I met her before in Israel, before that. When
I heard Tfila, she came out with the record, which means a prayer. I was really
taken by that, Tfila, a prayer. We needed a prayer at that time. I choreographed
it in New York. I was in New York for camp Dalia I used to do with Tamar. Usually
I came two or three days earlier to help get the camp together. She had that
record there. I listened to it and I said, 'My God, this is very beautiful.'
Even though you think of Tfila as very peaceful, the energy of the music gave
me stamina to do with Tfila in a way so that the movements project the feeling
that I had about Tfila, pushing it to the limit.
When I shake, (he demonstrates shimmy shoulder movement of dance part) give
us, give us this prayer. The words are: Shmor na aleinu komo y'ladim, Please
guard us God, like we are kids. Shmor na v'al ta'azov. Protect us,
and don't leave us. Give us your blessing, but don't leave us. The
choreography went to a certain level that I didn't even expect. I made it a
little faster than what she sings. If you go by the rhythm that she recorded
(slower), I felt like (there was) more energy there that I could introduce into
the dance.
BA: You met her before, when?
SB: I met her in the 70's when I was at Mishael's
house (Mishael Barzilay). She was a neighbor of Mishael. Her father used to
go to a synagogue where Mishael goes. She was there once with her father. I
can't believe she's gone.
BA: What motivates you to keep creating
dances and teaching to dance groups?
SB:You know, Mayim I can teach a hundred times
as long as I know people want to learn. To me beginners are new blood coming
to this beautiful culture of Israeli dancing.
Shlomo leading dancers at
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Shlomo - Hadarim Dance Ensemble 
Photo Credit: Hadarim Album Cover |
Vintage Israeli Dancing |
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Biographical Notes
Shlomo Bachar was born in Jerusalem and is a fifth generation Sabra. His background
includes dance, choreography, pantomime and drama. He has appeared with the
National Theater of Israel, was the director-choreographer of the Hadarim Israeli
Dance and Song Theater and joined other choreographers at the 50th Anniversary
Gala Celebration of the Israel Folk Dance Festival in 2001.
His Hadarim dance club in Los Angeles, offered classes and open dancing from
1969 to the 1990's. He continues to choreograph and teach at dance camps and
run his own classes.
Video link for Shir Hashirim website of Les Posen
http://homepage.mac.com/israeli_folk_dances/iMovieTheater267.html
Video link for Hashachar website of Les Posen
http://homepage.mac.com/israeli_folk_dances/iMovieTheater312.html
Shlomo Bachar's dances listed at:
http://www.israelidances.com/search.asp?S=A&intPageNo=1&ChoreographerName=Shlomo%20Bachar
or go to http://www.israelidanceaustralia.com/
Shlomo Bachar runs two regular classes in California: Malibu, Mondays, 8 - 10
pm and in Burbank on Tuesdays, 11 am - 12:30. For details call 818-501-7174
Shlomo Bachar will be a guest choreographer at these Israeli Folk Dance Camps
in May:
CALIFORNIA - Israeli Folk Dance Camp, May 15-17, 2005, Shalom Institute, Malibu,
CA
Beginners and non-dancers welcome. Contact Naomi Silbermintz at 818-905-8646
or
dancewithnaomi@msn.com
NEW YORK - Sababa Folk Dance Camp, Memorial Day Weekend May 27-30,
2005, Camp
Emmanuel, Copake, NY Contact Phone 516-569-5333 or 212-942-4143 FAX 212-942-0274;
email sababa@keff.com; www.sababadance.com
All content on Bat Amanoot Talks With...Shlomo Bachar is the property of Bat
Amanoot and may not be reprinted or reproduced without prior written permission
and consent of Bat Amanoot.
©Bat Amanoot 2005
