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The
Group in Jaffa, which has been active for
seven years within the Arabic-Jewish community center in Yaffo, is a
social organization that places at its core dancing and movement as
a form of expression and inter-personal communication, while
addressing the alienated reality of the Israeli society nowadays.
The central
activity of The Group in Jaffa is
expressed in the school's study programs which include several group
learning programs for adults who are invited to learn, experience
and enrich their movement language based on the world of
contemporary dance.
Alongside this
central activity, the school fosters its own dance ensemble
comprised of dancers and the program graduates, who perform to
various audiences. Through experience-oriented movement workshops,
The Group in Jaffa is making the world of
dance accessible to groups at the geographical and social margins of
Israel.
The
organization's point of origin is that dance is an expression of
one's creativity and a universal channel of communication. In a
diverse, stratified, and fragmented society it is important to
enrich language and verbal dialogue, out of a belief that through
movement and dance personal and social messages can be conveyed,
such which hold a enriching, stimulating nature with an aspiration
for change.
The
Group in Jaffa was designed to promote and
enable educational frameworks which support the view that dance can
be made accessible to everyone. The Group in
Jaffa is a place where creation and art take place, with the
concept that creation is a tool in the creator's hand used to
reflect the social reality in which he or she lives, attempting to
enrich the world view of the audience and stimulate it towards
social change and the betterment of the human condition.
The
Group in Jaffa seeks to address two
central aspects of the Israeli society in its activities:
· The
first aspect is a growing social alienation, stemming directly and
indirectly from the individualization and privatizing which the
Israeli society is undergoing. As the social services are
transformed into commodities, and as a result of the lower
education, culture and welfare budgets, there is now a deep erosion
of the democratic principles, the status of the middle class, the
sense of solidarity and social integrity. These processes are
gradually breaking down the Israeli society, turning it into a
radically individualized society, where every person care for their
own only
· The
second aspect is the numbness plaguing the inhabitants of Israel due
to the ongoing conflict with our Arab neighbours. The price of the
conflict, the discrimination, the occupation and the struggle for
freedom is experienced by the Israeli public, needless to say the
Arab public, every single day. This process is evaporating the
humanity in each and every person and envelops us with walls
(figuratively and literally) of despair, concrete and barbed wire
which prevent communication and conversation with the other.
In both cases
- the individualization and the conflict - the dynamics are
characterized by one-sided actions which emanate from lack of
communication, lack of listening, and stamping on the other's
dignity. The Group in Jaffa is interested
in challenging this lacking dialogue through the introduction of
tools from the world of dance and movement, tools for dialogue,
listening, sensitivity and respect. In an age where many conflicts
around the globe are put to an end through dialogue, listening and
respecting the other, it is important to preserve the hope that
coexistence and social justice can become real here too - for us.
Dancing, which
has been a basic human need and a wonderful instrument of expression
for mankind since the dawn of time, has unfortunately turned into a
commodity and was made the property of "professional" teachers and
critics, and has thus become the art of an aristocracy. The movement
classes in schools (at both elementary and high school levels) have
diminished if not altogether cancelled along the years; in response,
private frameworks have appeared, stressing the student's potential
of becoming a professional dancer, and as such, technique,
excellence and ambition are held as the highest values there.
As a result,
the alienation to the world of dance is found among adults who were
not privileged to experience dancing lessons when young. For most of
them, learning how to dance in an organized manner remains a dream…
The
Group in Jaffa Dance School
is open to any student who may wish to develop their skills as a
dancer and a creator, to explore the body and movement, and to turn
dance to a language and a home. The school aspires to embrace the
uniqueness and personal language of every student and to teach dance
through enjoyment and a harmonious approach to the body. The school
staff encourages the student to look beyond prejudice and clichés
related to the terms "dancer" and "dancing" and to experience a new
type of learning, one which is attentive to the personal needs of
every participant and to the needs of the evolving group.
The influence
of The Group in Jaffa on the development
of new approaches to teaching dance in Israel is evident today,
seven years after its establishment, in a growing community of
adults who choose to learn dancing and in a continually growing
number of recently opened programs for individuals with no prior
background in this field (mostly started by teachers who worked and
evolved with The Group in Jaffa). The
school has had a profound influence over the development of
contemporary areas of dance in Israel such as contact and
improvisation dancing.
Another
contribution of The Group in Jaffa to the
Israeli cultural and artistic weave is manifested in creating jobs
for many talented dance creators, including young creators at the
beginning of their career. Broadening the public of dance
appreciators naturally rejuvenates the field and allows a new
approach to dance, both socially and personally.
Donation to “The Group in Jaffa” will be more
then welcome
on
a secure site using credit cards.
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