Stepping Lively : Brisk Israeli dancing might seem daunting at first, but instructor Dale Alpert gets people to pick up the pace, and the steps.
Getting a little exercise isn’t always easy. It’s time-consuming, and let’s face it, a lot of it isn’t much fun. So what’s a flabby person to do? Consider Israeli dance with Dale Alpert as a move, and one heck of a workout, in the right direction.
So you don’t know the first step about folk dancing and never could figure out how to twist and shout? Never fear. If you can count to eight, hop-skip-stepping Alpert can teach you, your mother or even a stone how to do Israeli dance, it seems.
A new resident of Ventura County, Alpert may be one of the most popular instructors in Southern California. Eager students have been bunny hopping their way to Alpert’s classes since 1965.
“It all began for me when I was 15,” said Alpert. “My parents sent me to Camp Hess Kramer, the Jewish summer camp in Malibu, which is sponsored by Wilshire Boulevard Temple (in Los Angeles). One night I joined the folk dancing group and since there weren’t a lot of boys, the teacher asked me to help out. The following summer I led the class.”
You’ll have to move fast because every night he teaches at a different location.
You also have to move fast because the person ahead of you, who also happens to have your hand, takes off whether you get the steps or not.
It starts easily enough. You stand in a circle with other dancers, say your name and hold hands. Innocently, without the music on, Alpert recites the directions and demonstrates the first dance.
“Start with your right foot, then it’s a grapevine--step, cross front and side, stop on your left. Then touch. Again.” Sounds easy. No sweat. Then he turns on the cassette.
A clarinet and a drum blare out immediately. Off you go dancing with a new partner at the end of your hand and Alpert singing out his previous directions, which you sort of remember. You thought you knew which was your left foot before you walked in, but now you’re not so sure. Before you know it, the class ends and you’re asking when the next one begins.
“I remember one fellow who took one of my classes in Northridge,” says Alpert. “He taped a big R to his right foot and an L to his left.”
Alpert, who has had no formal dance training, said he is sympathetic to beginners even though it has always been easy for him to pick up steps quickly.
“I dabbled in acting too and somehow that helps,” he said. “I also went to dance workshops with Danny Dassa, a professional Israeli dancer who owned the successful Cafe Dansa in Santa Monica. I never dreamed I would come back years later to teach there, but I did that for seven years.”
In the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, massive numbers of college students flocked to Israeli dance cafes such as Dansa. The demand was high for skilled and enthusiastic teachers at Jewish community centers, temples and weekend retreats, and the graceful Alpert taught constantly.
Meanwhile, Alpert and Rena Goodman, a friend, had organized a group in 1968 called the Tamarim. The two performed for 15 years while Alpert went to college. “She played the accordion, I sang and we both danced. We loved it and we did bar mitzvahs and weddings,” he said.
Recently, Israeli dancing has been making a quiet comeback. Israelis who have recently emigrated are looking for a place that reminds them of Israel and where they can connect with other Israelis.
Also, campers from Brandeis Bardin Institute in Simi Valley, where Dassa now teaches, are getting hooked on Israeli dance and are dragging their parents back to cafes and temples that offer dance classes.
“People who aren’t sedentary will always like Israeli dancing,” says Alpert. “Besides, it’s far more fun moving and continually being challenged than watching TV every night.”
“My mother was a dancer and she got me involved a year and a half ago,” says dance participant Daralyn Rosam, mother of two teen-agers. “I love to be with people and it makes me feel good. If I could do it every night, I would.”
Alpert says, “All the new music helps keep everyone interested. Israeli dances are like rabbits. They multiply before you know it. There are thousands.
“That’s probably why I still love doing this after all these years. Last month alone I learned 25 new dances.”
Maybe Alpert just loves to dance.
“Even on my nights off my wife, Maxine, who I met Israeli dancing, and I will go dancing for recreation,” said Albert. “I’m beginning to teach my son, Aaron, who is 3, some steps too.”
* WHERE AND WHEN
* Dale Alpert teaches Tuesday evenings at Temple Adat Elohim, 2420 E. Hillcrest Drive, in Thousand Oaks, from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Nine sessions are $45. (805) 497-7101.
* On the first Friday of every month there is free dancing at 9:30 p.m. following religious services at Temple Etz Chaim, 1080 E. Janss Road, Thousand Oaks. (805) 497-6891.
* On the second Friday of each month free dancing commences at 9:30 p.m. at Temple Adat Elohim.
* On the fourth Friday of the month, free Israeli dancing will be offered at Temple Beth Haverim, 5126 Clareton Drive, Agoura Hills. (818) 991-7111.
UP CLOSE DAVE ALPERT
Residence: Westlake Village
Vocation: High school career counselor
Avocation: Teaching Israeli dance
Number of people to whom he has taught Israeli dance: 10,386
Alpert’s Rule of Dancing: “Always move in the same direction as everyone else, preferably at the same time. Anything else is dangerous.”
FOLK DANCE GROUPS
Two years ago an Israeli folk dance known as shir was introduced to the people attending the Ojai Festival. It was a hit, to say the least.
Shir, an upbeat dance with Yemenite influences, is still sweeping the county’s folk-dance community. Like many Israeli dances, it was brought to America as a means of keeping Israeli traditions and culture alive.
“ Shir is a dance of celebration,” dance instructor Dale Alpert said. “Basically, it’s a song saying, ‘Let’s embrace life.’ ”
If you’re interested in trying shir or other Israeli folk dances, here are some groups you might want to contact. Most feature a variety of international folk dances, Israeli among them.
Israeli Folk Dancing
* Ventura
The Haverim Dancers of Ventura meet at Temple Beth Torah Youth Center, 7620 Foothill Road, Ventura, each Sunday from 7 to 9 p.m. This group has taken a September break but will start up again Oct. 6. The group concentrates on Israeli and Balkan dancing, with the first hour for instruction, the second hour for open dancing. Cost is $2. Call Barbara Rosenberg at 643-0897.
International Folk Dancing
* Ojai
The Ojai Folk Dancers meet every Wednesday from 7:30 to 10 p.m. at the Ojai Arts Center, 112 S. Montgomery Road. Beginning instruction is scheduled from 7:30 to 8:15 p.m., depending on the turnout, with open dancing afterward. Cost is $3. Call Marsha McGill at 649-1503 or Rachel Pratt at 649-2367.
* Ventura
A group called Tchaika (which in Russian means “seagull”) meets Thursday nights, from 8 to 10 p.m. at Loma Vista Elementary School, 300 Lynn Drive, Ventura. The group is taking September off, but will resume Oct. 3. Cost is $2 for the first visit, with a monthly fee thereafter. Call Edith Sewell at 985-7316.
* Camarillo
The Camarillo Folk Dancers, sponsored by the Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District, meet Friday nights from 8 to 10:30 p.m. There are ongoing classes, but newcomers are welcome to drop by and check things out. Those who decide to join the group will be charged $26 for 13 sessions. The group meets at the Camarillo Community Center, 1605 E. Burnley St. Call Stan Kohls at 386-4348.
* Thousand Oaks
The Conejo Valley Folk Dancers get together Mondays from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Conejo Elementary School, 280 Conejo School Road. This group regularly has the largest turnout in the county--35 to 50 people each Monday night. The fee is $1. Call Gene Lovejoy at 498-2491 or Jill Lundgren at 497-1957.
Lundgren also leads a class sponsored by Conejo Adult Education Community Services. A six-week session that began this week will continue Wednesdays from 7:30 to 9 p.m. This group will also meet at Conejo School. Cost is $25. To sign up, call the Waverly Adult Center at 497-2761. For information on the class, call Lundgren.
Coming soon:
* The Folk Dance Federation of California South is sponsoring a folk dance workshop, Oct. 11-13, at Camp Hess Kramer, 11495 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu. Instructors will focus on Israeli, Balkan and international dancing, and there will be classes for people of all levels of folk dance experience. Cost is $115, which will include six meals, sleeping accommodations for two nights and various other activities. Call Beverly Barr at (213) 202-6166 or (213) 478-4659.
* On Nov. 2, the Five Cities Folk Dance Council (the five cities being Ojai, Ventura, Camarillo, Thousand Oaks and Santa Barbara) will host a Folk Dance Party at Loma Vista Elementary School from 7 to 11 p.m. Cost has not been announced yet. Call Edith Sewell at 985-7316.