Learning the dance steps of a Jewish dance to the melody of Hava Nagila is not difficult. It is a great introduction to folk dancing as a whole. The history behind the song is not known. All that we do know is that it originated from what is now Central and Eastern Europe. Its success is partly due to its pace, which begins slowly but steadily increases over time, making it much easier to learn the dance steps as you go.
MATERIALS
- MP3 player
- Hava Nagila melody
Instruction
All the dancers hold hands (or the boys hold a handkerchief and the girls hold its other end) and start moving in a circle.
Then, the children put their left foot in front of the right foot (the weight is put on the left foot). Then the right foot is placed next to the left. At the same time, the left foot is moved behind and to the right. It then alternates in this way: left before right, left behind the right.
These are the basic dance steps. The dance can be diversified in any way, for example, the children can stand in concentric circles and dance in opposite directions. An example of the Jewish dance can be seen here.