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 is all about Klezmer music and dance traditions, and we are thrilled to be joined by two experts in the genre!
Meet our guest teachers:
Originally from Riga, Latvia, now based in Brooklyn, NY, Ilya Shneyveys is a accordionist and multi-instrumentalist, educator, composer, arranger, and producer of Yiddish music. With expertise spanning from traditional klezmer accordion to experimental and fusion projects, Ilya performs and teaches at Jewish festivals around the world, in venues ranging from Carnegie Hall to your local synagogue catering hall. Ilya is a founding member of Berlin’s Neukölln Klezmer Sessions and Shtetl Berlin, and a long-time faculty member of Yiddish Summer Weimar. His notable projects and collaborations include Forshpil, Alpen Klezmer, KaraYam, Caravan Orchestra, Dobranotch, Shekedina, Black Rooster Kapelye, Michael Winograd and The Klezmatics.
Sarah Myerson is an ordained cantor actively working to connect egalitarian Jewish religious with secular/cultural Yiddish communities. She serves as the Kol Bo Spiritual Leader of Roosevelt Island Jewish Congregation and lives in Brooklyn, New York. She teaches Yiddish song workshops and Yiddish dance workshops in person worldwide, hybrid, and fully remotely online. She writes and performs new compositions, for example with Jewish spiritual music duo Shekedina. Sarah has a Master of Sacred Music and Diploma of Hazzan from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, and a Bachelor of Music (Composition Honors) from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
Each session has three parts
During the first 90 minutes, participants can choose between two spaces to learn multi-ethnic music and dance technique and styles.
Participants will all come together for a 30 minute dance party focusing on the dances and tunes taught in the prior hour.
The remaining segment will be an informal music jam in one or more of the classroom spaces at the JCC.
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