What is this program all about?
Read Ilana's testimony below,
as a backstage and rehearsals volunteer, as well as parent!
It's no secret that for the past 4 years, our beloved ONOT and KesheRoked dancers have stolen the show at the Festivals with smiling, confident children having a blast and taking the audience with them. This is all thanks to Nomie. She makes it look so seamless and easy, so it is hard to fathom the amount of thought and work that Nomie actually puts into a successful dance season. She is modest and hardworking with a smile. I say it is time to spill the beans. Here is a behind the scenes look (from llana's view) of the amazing Nomie and her dance programs.
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1. CHOOSING THE SONG Nomie does not just pick any song. First of all, she often does a medley of songs to keep it interesting. With her educator hat on, she asks the questions: What part of Jewish/Israeli culture or history do I want the dancers to learn about this year? What is a classic Hebrew song they should know? What has easy words for the kids to learn Hebrew? |
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2. RECRUITING THE DANCERS
Students can't help but get excited when Nomie tells them all about what it is like to be in the Dance Troupe! She knows each student saying "This would be great for his self confidence," or "I can tell they would love
this!" She is always successful in making sure everyone knows that Israeli dance is for them too! She brings in amazing madrichim (some alumni) to be role models for our dancers. She spends hours on the phone with parents working out scheduling or other conflicts just so their children can benefit from being a part of this amazing team. Nomie zeroes in and personally cares for each and every individual dancer. Nomie also created a "katan" group for our youngest students, so they can learn to love Israeli dancing at an early age and feel pride in their performances as well!
Students can't help but get excited when Nomie tells them all about what it is like to be in the Dance Troupe! She knows each student saying "This would be great for his self confidence," or "I can tell they would love
this!" She is always successful in making sure everyone knows that Israeli dance is for them too! She brings in amazing madrichim (some alumni) to be role models for our dancers. She spends hours on the phone with parents working out scheduling or other conflicts just so their children can benefit from being a part of this amazing team. Nomie zeroes in and personally cares for each and every individual dancer. Nomie also created a "katan" group for our youngest students, so they can learn to love Israeli dancing at an early age and feel pride in their performances as well!
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3. CHOREOGRAPHY
Nomie's goal is for each and every student to feel confident and special from participating in the dance. Therefore the physical placement of each child, for each piece of the dance is meticulously planned. Does this younger student have someone older they can watch? Can these two students work well together? I want to give this student who worked really hard a leadership role this year. I think these two might become friends if I have them work together. Plus everyone, all 60 dancers regardless of skill, gets a "special part." Some get to dance in the front, some get to be a "leader" of one of the lines, some get to smile and pose in the front row at the end, and some get to do a solo or a lift. |
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4. COSTUMES
Not only do the costumes have to fit the budget, they have to fit all the kids! We try to reuse parts of costumes from previous years to save resources. We usually have to order extra costumes because our program keeps growing! This year, with the supply chain shortage, hours were spent tracking down one more red
skirt. We found one in Alabama. In the age of Covid, we also had to track down N95 masks to match the exact three colors of their costumes! Nomie is also cognisant of students who might not yet be able to advocate for themselves, and makes sure everyone is comfortable in their costume, whether it be a skirt, pants, or other options. Then she has to have all 60 kids try on their costumes! Nomie is careful of each student's feelings about sizes and bodies, and works to make sure everyone feels good about themselves. She meticulously works with each student one by one to make sure they have a beautiful, comfortable costume to dance in! She also designs and orders our "Just Want to Dance" t-shirts, after having students vote on this year's color! Just another way for the students to proudly be part of this team.
Not only do the costumes have to fit the budget, they have to fit all the kids! We try to reuse parts of costumes from previous years to save resources. We usually have to order extra costumes because our program keeps growing! This year, with the supply chain shortage, hours were spent tracking down one more red
skirt. We found one in Alabama. In the age of Covid, we also had to track down N95 masks to match the exact three colors of their costumes! Nomie is also cognisant of students who might not yet be able to advocate for themselves, and makes sure everyone is comfortable in their costume, whether it be a skirt, pants, or other options. Then she has to have all 60 kids try on their costumes! Nomie is careful of each student's feelings about sizes and bodies, and works to make sure everyone feels good about themselves. She meticulously works with each student one by one to make sure they have a beautiful, comfortable costume to dance in! She also designs and orders our "Just Want to Dance" t-shirts, after having students vote on this year's color! Just another way for the students to proudly be part of this team.
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5. PRACTICES
Our dancers are so good that you might think they have a strict, scary drill sergeant as their leader. However, nothing can be further from the truth and, in my opinion, that is why each and every dancer is glowing during their performance. Nomie leads her dance practices with precision and a gentle humor that makes the students love their practices and gain self confidence. Each minute of each practice is carefully planned out ahead of time: when they work on which part, when will we add in some fun harkada dances to change the pace and re-energize the students, etc. Nomie started wearing a microphone headset so students can hear her over the music (and masks). She uses it to speak to the whole group, however when she needs to speak to an individual student she immediately shuts off the microphone so no one feels embarrassed or singled out. |
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I watched a rehearsal as we came close to performance time:
The students were supposed to hold their hands on their sides as if they were holding two pizzas. Some students were holding their hands too high. Rather than correcting them in the typical way, Nomie had them belly laughing about how some of them were accidentally throwing their pizzas on their heads, and they were going to soon be covered with cheese and sauce if they didn't hold their pizzas correctly at their sides. They always remembered "don't throw my pizza on my head!" and moved on to learn the next move!
Oh, and did I mention she runs these practices 90% in Hebrew? Our students know and understand counting, colors, directions, and moves, all in Hebrew!
The students were supposed to hold their hands on their sides as if they were holding two pizzas. Some students were holding their hands too high. Rather than correcting them in the typical way, Nomie had them belly laughing about how some of them were accidentally throwing their pizzas on their heads, and they were going to soon be covered with cheese and sauce if they didn't hold their pizzas correctly at their sides. They always remembered "don't throw my pizza on my head!" and moved on to learn the next move!
Oh, and did I mention she runs these practices 90% in Hebrew? Our students know and understand counting, colors, directions, and moves, all in Hebrew!
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6. PERFORMANCES This is where the real magic comes together. Nomie has our group so proud of themselves, so energized, so excited to be together as a team. I can tell you, as the backstage person over the years, our group is always the best behaved and most courteous youth group at Festival. The students of all ages help one another, and it truly feels like a family. The glowing pride that each dancer exhibits after the performance is priceless. |
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Nomie runs multiple dance groups, the older ones full of alumni who fell in love with Israeli dancing with her as young children. When Nomie arrived in Boston, the number of children and teens participating in the Festivals was shrinking. Because of her tireless efforts, dedication, and talent, an Israeli dance renaissance has truly been created here, and for that, we will forever be thankful!
-Ilana Snapstailer
-Ilana Snapstailer