Curtain Up! TALI Dance Festival 2017 Resounding Success 1,500 pupils from 35 TALI chools take part in TALI’s 7th annual music and dance festival

19/06/2017

The TALI Education Fund (TALI = Hebrew acronym for Enriched Jewish Studies) is marking the 50th anniversary of the unification of Jerusalem with its 7th annual music festival with the participation of 1,500 pupils from 35 TALI schools from all over Israel. Following classroom study of curricula on Jerusalem, the pupils performed songs and dances from modern Hebrew songs as well as from traditional texts. The aim of this unique program is to offer pupils a Jewish-Israeli rich musical experience – which integrates classroom and experiential learning, and by assembling TALI choirs from all over the country to strengthen the students’ sense of being part of the TALI network.

This year’s five festivals, held in May, took place on the following dates: on May 3 at the Masorti School in Jerusalem, attended by 250 pupils from 7 TALI schools from Modi’in, Mevasseret, Dimona, Adam (Geva Binyamin) and Jerusalem; on May 10 a music festival was held at Kibbutz Hazorea; on May 21 in Ashdod; on May 22 at Kfar Yona. The final event was a dance festival on May 25 in Modi’in attended by 320 pupils from 8 TALI schools from Hadera, Givat Zeev, Ramle, Modi’in, Mevasseret, Shoham and Jerusalem.

This marks the third year that disabled dancers in wheelchairs participate in the dance program. This year members of Ilan’s ” “Dancing on Wheels” group participated in the festival. Gila Barashi, head of the Jerusalem District at TALI explains: “we have created a tradition of encounters with a different type of dancer, conveying a message of empowerment. The achievements of disabled individuals in this performance demonstrate that the sky is the limit.”

The “Shirat Halev” festivals mark the end of the school year for TALI schools. The festivals serve to support and encourage the musical experience in the school, and to enrich pupils by expanding their repertoire of songs from Jewish and Israeli tradition. They also provide a point of connection between TALI schools and emphasize the importance of experiential education through artistic and musical enrichment. This also marks the third year of the national TALI dance festival, directed by Bat Ella Birnbaum and Nava Peretz. The TALI dance groups rehearsed throughout the year leading to a performance with impressive and precise choreography. The events were sponsored by the generous support of the Morris and Beverly Baker Foundation.

“The idea behind the project is to create a musical learning experience that fosters solidarity and pride in being part of the TALI family,” says TALI music specialist Bat Ella Birnbaum, who initiated and directs the project. “Each year we have veteran schools and new schools, and the goal is to allow the pupils to take part in a non-competitive experience.”

For further details: Shelly Paz, 054-2488086

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