Dance Over Troubled Waters

In 1950 the theater group Inbal was founded by Sarah Levi Tanai. The author who was also a member of the theater troupe and got her start there so to speak. The book is relatively short, and I read it in one morning. The author manages to squeeze in her a short biography of Sara Levi Tanai, an auto biography of herself and a bit of a biography of her parents. The author gives glimpse into the Jewish history of Yemen and some of the Yemenite Jew’s history in Israel.

Sara Levi was born in Jerusalem to a family of 12 children. Her mother died when she was six years old and over the years so did her siblings. Since her father on his own was not able to financially support her. Sara went to Tzfat to live in a boarding school for orphans. She later went to Shefela which is a training live in facility of sorts. Sarah taught kindergarten for 18 years . It was during these years that Sara developed plays and songs for children and it is also the years she put on performances and wedding for various moshavs and kibbutzes. At age 38 she was tapped to work with a play choreographer. In 1950 she founded Inbal.

Inbal is a theater dance troupe with many songs and skits to their name. Since this dance troupe represents Israel the dance style that was crafted for this troupe includes elements of Palestinian debka, Yemenite steps and some Chasidic dancing and ballet. The dance style is more than just the some of its parts rather it is the language of motion that sets this dance style apart. While taking Yemenite elements it is still an Israeli dance style. The dances in Yemen took place in limited space so the movements are up and down, circular and vigorous. Very similar to Chasidic dancing.

Yemenite dances are unique and biblical being almost untouched since temple times. The male dance steps are very bold and assertive while the woman’s moves are slow smooth and going with the flow type of moves. The dassa is the Yemenite step incorporated into Israeli dance. It is like the foot stepping into desert sand. Moving slow and gentle. The poetry or diwan of men is about religious stuff and spiritual longing. Women sing of life cycles and emotional issues. In Yemen the man was in charge and the women were like slaves to their husbands, at least in the author’s opinion.

The author herself was born into a Yemenite family. She went to elementary school in her hometown and then went to Shefela for their high school program after the Reali program was too expensive. Her father was a person who ransomed kidnapped Jews in Yemen. 

What impressed me about the book is that it gave at least brief insight into Jewish life in Yemen. Starting with legends of their first arrival shortly after the destruction of the first temple. The author goes on to explain the communal structure of Jewish life in Yemen and she also documents the persecutions the Jews had to endure in Yemen. The Israeli operations to bring the Jews over had many hiccups and she details some of them as well. Arriving in Israel the Yemenite did not have a good time. There were issues of inequality, disease and poverty.