The Joy of Jewish Music and Dance
Sunday March 23rd – 1-4 pm – JCC East Bay

Dive into “The Joy of Jewish Music and Dance”! This delightful monthly series is perfect for musicians, dancers, and enthusiasts who are eager to connect and celebrate Judaism’s dynamic musical traditions. Bring your instruments, lace up your dancing shoes, and get ready for a whole lot of Jewish joy!
This month’s workshop offers an afternoon of Klezmer, Balkan, and Romanian music and dance, taught by innovators and leaders in the Jewish Music community.
Meet our guest teachers:
Peter Bonos plays trumpet, oud and euphonium in a variety of musical styles, including klezmer, balkan brass, and Turkish music. He produces The Berkeley Balkan Bacchanal, a monthly concert series at the Starry Plough. He is a founding member of Balkan brass band Fanfare Zambaleta and is the bandleader of Orchestra Euphonos, an instrumental Eastern European folk ensemble specializing in Moldovan music and Klezmer. He has also performed and collaborated with Alaturca Connection, Zirzuvi, Kali Orkestar, Duygu Gün and many more artists in the Bay Area Balkan and Klezmer and Turkish music scene.
Bruce Bierman is a celebrated Jewish dance master , theater director and arts educator. He is co-artistic director of the award-winning Yiddish Theatre Ensemble in Berkeley where he has directed and choreographed ‘The Megilleh of Itzik Manger’ for the Berkeley Jewish Music Festival, Sholem Asch’s ‘God of Vengeance’ and most recently ‘Between Worlds’ starring Naomi Newman. He served as Yiddish dance and theater dramaturg for Paula Vogel’s Tony Award winning play, ‘Indecent’ at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Arena Stage and the most recent production at the San Francisco Playhouse which YTE also co-produced. Bruce was also a lead dancer and teaching artist with the Los Angeles Aman Folk Ensemble bringing world music and dance to youth throughout the L.A. Unified School District.
The music workshop will explore the shared repertoire and stylistic connections between the Jewish, Romanian, and Romani music of Romania and Moldova (formerly Bessarabia). Taught and organized by Orchestra Euphonos bandleader Peter Bonos on trumpet, this workshop will give students and guests the rare opportunity to study Romanian folk singing by Ionela Guzic alongside Yiddish Folk singing by Aaron Goldstein (also on percussion), accompanied by Zina Pozen on accordion, each teaching on their respective instruments or vocal repertoire. We’ll conclude with a big jam on the tunes we’ll learn plus a performance of the extended repertoire characterized by a distinct sound informed by the group’s forays into klezmer, Balkan, and Romanian music.
Drop-in admission: $25.00-$54.00 sliding scale. No one turned away for lack of funds. Kids are free.
Cost Range: 25 – 54

Organization: JCC East Bay