Yiddish Dance Orchestra
Aug 17 - 21
10 a.m. – 1 p.m. & 3 p.m. – 6 p.m.

with Ilya Shneyveys, Susi Evans, Szilvia Csaranko & Abigale Reisman

For five days each year, Weimar turns into the hottest spot in the world for Yiddish dance music! This year, the Yiddish Dance Orchestra cooks up dance tunes that have been in “cold storage” for decades in archives of the Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine. Collected in villages and towns of Ukraine and Belarus more than 100 years ago by the An-ski expeditions and brought to light again only in the past year by the Kiselgof-Makonovetsky Digital Manuscript Project, these are the tunes that professional klezmorim played at weddings and other social occasions, and they breathe the spirit of old Yiddishland.  Led by kapelmayster Ilya Shneyveys with klezmorim extraordinaire Szilvia Csaranko, Susi Evans and Abigale Reisman, the Dance Orchestra will explore connections between KMDMP repertoire and other written and recorded sources. The roles of melody, accompanying and rhythm instruments in creating a free-wheeling, high energy ensemble sound will receive special attention, always with the goal, as Ilya says, to “play like someone’s dancing!” Previous experience with klezmer music is helpful but not necessary – if your musical home is Anglo-American, Irish, German, BalFolk, Swedish, Polish, Ukrainian, Russian or Balkan dance music or even jazz (to name a few) you should thrive in this workshop. All instruments are welcome! (To get the most out of this workshop, you should know your way around your own instrument with no difficulties).

Workshop fee: 345 € Standard / 270 € Reduced / 470 € Sponsor / 145 € under 18 / 50 € Affected by the Corona pandemic
For information about the Standard, Reduced and Supporter fees >> read about