Perhaps only in Israeli folk dancing circles can a 17-year-old high schooler mingle comfortably with a 52-year-old podiatrist. Probably only at Israeli folk dance camps can people dance 20 hours in a 24 hour period. And for Rikud, which offers just that kind of experience, there is a waiting list every year.
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Dassa is thrilled that so many dancers return year after year, but acknowledges that the new faces are what keep the camp fresh.
High schoolers, introduced to Israeli folk dancing by Dassa’s youth programs at schools and summer camps, are often the greenest of the crowd. Though they certainly inject Rikud with youthful exuberance, Dassa is strict about limiting their number to between 20 and 25.
“I choose the kids that are most passionate about dancing and can handle the adult atmosphere,” Dassa said. “I could take many more, but that would annoy everyone else.”
“Everyone else” is an extremely diverse bunch, Dassa said: 60 percent are Israeli-born, 20 percent come from out of state, ages range from early teens to late 70s, and dance experience varies from just a couple of months to 40-plus years.
I’ve been dancing since the age of 3, but I started attending weekly dance sessions on a regular basis only two years ago. This will be my third time attending Rikud, and perhaps my 25th Israeli folk dance camp (I’ve been to many with my dad). The weekend is one of the highlights of my year.
Until you’ve experienced it for yourself, you simply cannot imagine how 70 hours of dancing can leave you feeling so completely satisfied, so utterly exhausted and so fundamentally Jewish.
The fee to attend is $175 for students and up to $450 for a private room.
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