LATIN TROUPE DANCES TO AN ISRAELI BEAT

The heart and soul of the Latino dancer is embedded in the folklorico tradition. But not all Latino dancers have their sights set on Mexican-style folklorico. The dancers of the Tzlelei-Ami Dance Ensemble, a Chula Vista-based folklorico troupe, prefer folk forms from the land of Israel to the indigenous dances of Mexico.

“I’m originally from Mexico City,” said David Chait, founding director of the Tzlelei-Ami Dance Ensemble, “and most of my dancers are from Mexico--or their parents were born in Mexico. But we’re all Jewish, and we’re interested in bringing the history of the Jewish people to life in our dancing--2,000 years of Jewish history.”

The dancers have worked together for only nine months, but they have already performed in Mexico City, Tijuana and San Diego. And, as Chait pointed out: “We’re the first active Israeli dance group in San Diego.”

“We illustrate each historical era, beginning with the biblical period and the destruction of the first temple and continuing through to the time of the pioneers--the first immigrants to Palestine,” he said. “Then we move on into modern Israel to depict its hopes for a peaceful future.

“We teach our audiences about our culture through dancing, pantomime, music and a slide show--and of course through the emotional content of our programs. You learn and you also enjoy.”

San Diego audiences can take the Tzlelei-Ami Dance Ensemble’s crash course in Jewish cultural history at 8 p.m. Saturday when the 18-member troupe takes to the stage of Mandeville Auditorium at UC San Diego for a program Chait calls “Living Roots: 2,000 Years of Jewish Heritage Through Dance and Music.”

The concert will feature live Klezmer music (Jewish folk music from Eastern Europe) by the Zmiros klezmer musicians, as well as Israeli and modern music performed by guitarist Cara Freedman and her musical ensemble. Several of the dances will feature original Hasidic music composed by the Zmiros band.

“Every dance has a story to tell,” Chait said, “but there really is no pure Israeli folklore. You have to take it from Arabic, Yemenite, Russian, Czech, Spanish and other countries where the Jewish people lived for centuries. Since the Jews didn’t have a land of their own, their folklore is intertwined with influences from all the people they lived with.”

Chait began his studies in Israeli folkloric dances at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He returned to Mexico and performed with the Anajnu Veatem troupe (a Mexican-based Israeli dance group) eventually earning principal roles with the company.

For the last year, Chait has been affiliated with the Ken Jewish Community Center in Chula Vista, a cultural organization composed almost exclusively of Latino Jews. Chait has been developing educational and social programs for the Chula Vista community and organizing summer exchange programs with Mexican Jews, while focusing on his first love--folkloric dancing.

“I’m very involved with all types of dance,” Chait said. “When I danced with the Anajnu Veatem group, I began taking classes in modern dance and ballet. Now I perform with the American Ballet Ensemble (a local ballet company directed by ex-New York City Ballet dancer Lynda Yourth) when I have time. But what I like most is folkloric dance. I want to transmit a message.”

Chait choreographed all six pieces slated for the Mandeville program and he will dance in several of the works.

“In our six pieces, we will relive the history of the Jewish people--and each dance will be costumed according to the times,” he said. “You’ll see the Jews in Babylon, the Jews in Spain and their ordeal during the Inquisition, and you’ll see Jewish life in other parts of Europe. It’s very theatrical. We even use fire in the piece about the Inquisition, and some of the headdresses are very elaborate.

“In ‘The Period of the Pioneers,’ we concentrate on the pioneers who settled in Palestine at the turn of the century and who conquered the land through work. In this piece, we show the European roots for the Israeli folklore, and you’ll see traditional hora steps, as well as Russian and Polish dance styles.”

There is a joyous wedding celebration in “The Jews in Yemen,” a Purim carnival (complete with masks and clown costumes) in “The Jews of Spain,” and a glimpse of shtetl life among the Hasidic Jews.

An anguished section in “Modern Period” laments the victims of war, but as Chait explained, the finale is mainly about “a new land of hope and freedom.”

Latino interest in Israeli dance is not as unusual as it may seem.

“There are about 50,000 Jews in Mexico,” Chait said. “Some Jewish families began settling here (in San Diego) about 10 or 15 years ago, and there have been Jewish families living in Tijuana for years.”

Most of the dancers in the Tzlelei-Ami ensemble are amateurs.

“The program will give people a truer idea about what Judaism is,” he said. “We can be good will ambassadors for Israel and the Jewish people through our dancing.”