Mizrahi Dance: from past to present

I am so excited to share my final project for the 2022 Artist Support Grant. This project is supported by the United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County and the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

In this dance video, I used clips from Gurit Kadman’s special collection of films of Mizrahi immigrants just weeks (and even days) after arriving in Israel during their time in the absorption camps in the 1950’s. Thank you to the Israel Film Archive for permission to use this incredible footage!
I wanted to not only recreate these clips but also try and bring them to life in a new way. My group and I tried to emulate the movements of these Kurdish, Libyan, and Yemenite dances. The goal was to bring a piece of history into the present. Mizrahi dances are hard to trace and precious clips like these are rare. My hope for this project and the Mizrahi Dance Archive is to not only honor history but to also keep it relevant and exciting as we move into the future.

Thank you to the beautiful dancers who joined me on this journey: Lauren, Janet, and Dawn. What a wonderful experience to share together!

And thank you to Three Attic Entertainment for producing this piece.
Producer & Director: Tanner King
Cinematographer & Camera Operator: Adam Allington
Camera Operator & Production Assistant: Aleshia Parker

For more information on Mizrahi dance visit www.mizrahidancearchive.com

Music: Leyla by Hadassa Yeshurun
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United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County