The Yemenite step is a
dance step
Dance moves or dance steps (more complex dance moves are called dance patterns, dance figures, dance movements, or dance variations) are usually isolated, defined, and organized so that beginning dancers can learn and use them independently of each ...
widely practiced by Yemeni
Muslim
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
men and Yemeni
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
men and women. It originates from the dancing of
Yemenite Jews
Yemenite Jews, also known as Yemeni Jews or Teimanim (from ; ), are a Jewish diaspora group who live, or once lived, in Yemen, and their descendants maintaining their customs. After several waves of antisemitism, persecution, the vast majority ...
.
Description
Yemenite step (''tza'ad Temani'') is a popular dance performed Jews during weddings and other Jewish occasions. The basic Tza'ad Temani step provides a swaying movement that changes the dancer's direction of motion, although the dancer may face forward throughout the step. It is usually a sideways movement, but may be done moving backward and forward (or vice versa). It consists of three steps, with a short pause on the final step for a "quick, quick, slow" tempo.
The most common variations are known as a right Temani (or Yemenite right), and left Temani (or Yemenite left). (The alternate form of each name—placing the adjective after the noun—is due to a common preference among dance teachers to emphasize the name of the step rather than its direction.) Each of these names specifies both the direction of the first movement, and the foot on which the movement begins (and ends).
The following description of the right Yemenite step explains the footwork and direction of movement:
Israeli Folk Dancing Glossary
by Martin Imber. Retrieved August 25, 2009.
#Beginning with weight on left foot, step sideways to the right. Weight moves right, onto the right foot.
#Shift weight left, onto the left foot, which may stay in place or move slightly backward.
#Cross right foot in front of and slightly past the left foot, and step on right foot. Weight moves left, onto the right foot.
#Hold. Weight stays on right foot. Left leg remains behind and slightly to the right, with toe on the ground for balance.
Reversing the above footwork and direction of movement will give the details of the left Yemenite step.
Terminology
Dance teachers have also applied the name Yemenite to steps that differ from the classic Yemenite step but retain enough similarity to make the name helpful for teaching or descriptive purposes. Thus the back Yemenite, the name of which specifies the direction of the first movement and can be expanded to specify the starting foot. Similarly, some teachers may use phrases such as Yemenite-hop, or Yemenite-pivot to describe an otherwise-normal Yemenite step that ends with the specified movement rather than a hold.
See also
*International folk dance
International folk dance includes Balkan dance, Middle Eastern dance, contra dance, Hungarian dance, polka, Chinese dance, and Japanese dance. Clubs featuring these ethnic dance genres are enjoyed by non-professional dancers for entertainment ...
*Dance in Israel
Dance in Israel incorporates a wide variety of dance styles, from traditional Israeli folk dancing to ballet, modern dance, ballroom dancing and flamenco.
Contemporary dance in Israel has won international acclaim. Israeli choreographers, among t ...
* Jewish dance
* Yemeni Music
References
External links
*
"Ha'eer Beafor" dance description
{{Jewish theatre
Social dance steps
Dance in Israel
Jewish music