Nona Malki

I, a born and raised Canadian woman, was first introduced to Israeli dance during my first trip to Israel in 1977, while volunteering on Kibbutz Ashdot Ya’akov. I was immediately hooked! I had initially planned to stay in Israel for only three months but became so enamored with the kibbutz lifestyle, its people and culture, that I remained in Israel for three years.

When I moved to Kibbutz Ramat David to study Hebrew (Ashdot Ya’akov did not have an Ulpan), I had already learned several Israeli dances, and so I was invited to teach the Ulpanistim (Hebrew students) the dances I knew. That invitation marked the beginning of my teaching journey. It was also during this period that I met my husband, Avi, who was also a dancer! There was truly no turning back from that point on.

Avi and I returned to Vancouver, Canada, in 1980, and I began attending Israeli dance sessions at the Jewish Community Centre (JCC) in 1982. I started teaching in 1984 with the Vancouver Israeli Folk Dance Society (VIFS) and have been teaching and programming dance sessions and events ever since. I have also served on the VIFS Executive Board as Executive Director, Program Director, and Social Director and today as Workshop Director.

In my role as Workshop Director, together with the VIFS Executive, I produce the annual Vancouver Israeli dance workshop, BeLev Echad (“With One Heart”), a cornerstone event in our community.

I began choreographing in 1996, with my first circle dance, Le’Einecha HaKchulot, and have continued choreographing ever since, with 54 dances to my credit. Three of my dances, Chai Le’Ma’anech (1st place, 2006), Kol Mila (5th place, 2012), and Romeio (5th place, 2014), were selected for Gadi Bitton’s annual Parade of Dances Top Ten.

For many years, I had searched for something that truly ignited my passion, and Israeli dance became that calling. Through it, I have had the opportunity to grow and develop both as a dancer and a choreographer, while also acquiring the skills necessary to lead and sustain a dance organization.

My dances are here.

 

A Little Story About the Dance “Chai Le’Ma’anech – I Live For You”

From 1998 to 2014, I was honored and privileged to be a consistent member of the teaching team at Camp Rikud in Los Angeles, California. During those years I choreographed at least one dance per year, specifically to teach at the camp each summer.

As part of my creative process, I always taught the dance first to the Vancouver dancers.

I found this process to be invaluable, as it allowed me to assess what worked well and what needed refinement. This preparation helped me arrive at camp feeling confident and well prepared.

Let me begin this dance’s story, by saying that Chai Le’Ma’anech won first place in Gadi Bitton’s Parade of Dances in 2006, but its journey began in 2004 as a complete and surprising flop!

Chai Le’Ma’anech was choreographed in 2004, and when it was taught to the Vancouver dancers, it was met with an overwhelmingly positive response. They loved it!! As a result, I went to Camp Rikud that year with great confidence and high expectations for how warmly the dance would be received.

Well… to say that the dance was poorly received would be an understatement. Dancers were actually leaving the circle during the teach! I was absolutely devastated and to the best of my recollection, I never taught or danced Chai Le’Ma’anech again. It was, in my mind, finished.

Fast forward to 2006… I received an email from a woman in Israel named Orly Schachar. She wrote to tell me that she and her dance partner, Moti (z”l), had discovered Chai Le’Ma’anech on YouTube, fallen in love with it and asked Tuvia Tishler to teach it in his session. Although he declined… “several times”, they persisted, and he eventually agreed. In the meantime, Orly and Moti (z”l) were actively sharing the music and video with other session leaders, strongly encouraging them to teach the dance as well.

Soon after, Chai Le’Ma’anech became the subject of lively debate for nearly six months, on the online forum Tapuz. The dance was discussed incessantly… mostly criticized as being too difficult, too slow, more suited for the stage than the dance floor, and “not a folk dance at all”, among many other opinions.

And then, quite unexpectedly, the dance was nominated for Gadi Bitton’s Parade of Dances Top Ten and, remarkably, it went on to win first place!

From this experience, I have learned three important lessons:

1. Never go to teach at a dance camp with “expectations” of how the dance will be received. What resonates deeply with one group of dancers may not necessarily connect with another.
2. Remain true to yourself, regardless of the outcome. Do not allow fear of failure to hinder the creative process, experimentation, or initial instincts.
3. Respect and embrace the power of marketing and social media – especially in today’s environment, where visibility and conversation can shape a dance’s journey in unforeseen ways.
4. Israeli dance and all that it embodies has been a life-changing gift. I am deeply grateful for the opportunities it has afforded me; creative expression through choreography, meaningful contribution to a community I love and the privilege of traveling and connecting with others around the world who share this same passion.

 

Chai Le’Ma’anech – Dance Notation

Formation: Partners in a Circle

Meter: 4/4

Step notation is for M (men); W (women) uses opposite

Part A:       Face CCW with inside hands joined.

1-2              Step L fwd, touch R toes fwd.

3-4              Step R fwd, touch L toes fwd.

5-8              Step L fwd and make a 1¼ turn fwd to rt. toward partner with R, L, R. End face-to-face with M’s back toward center.

9-12            Yem. L.

13-16          Step R to rt. and pivot to left to face CCW stepping on L; step R fwd and pivot to left to face CW, step on L.

17-32          Repeat counts 1-16 with opposite footwork and direction.
Part B:

1-4              M: Step L, R, L toward center and pivot on L to left to face W. W: Step R, L, R away from center and pivot on R to rt. to face M.

5-8              Three steps toward partner with R, L, R (W: L, R, L) joining rt. hand on last step, hold.

9-11            Making 1/4 turn to right, M behind W with both facing CW and left hands joined near W’s waist: Yem. L bringing joined left hands over W’s head so that rt. hands are joined near her waist and left hands are joined at her shoulder level in front of her face. [W: Yem. R]

12-14 Yem. R bringing joined left hands back over W’s head. [W: Yem. L]

15-16 M: Step L, R in place, releasing left hands and turning W a full turn to her left under joined right hands. End facing CW, M in outer circle. W: Full left turn under joined rt. hands with two steps R, L to end facing CW, W in inner circle.

17-32          Repeat Part B counts 1-16 in opposite direction.

33-36          ¾ turn to left to face W (M’s back toward center) with L, R. Step back on L, R in place.

Part C:       Face partner with M’s back toward center.

1-2              Step L fwd toward partner joining palms of M’s left and W’s rt. hands with arms high, hold.

3-6              Yem. R, hold.

7-8              M: L, R moving past W to outer circle with ¼ turn left to face CCW. W: R, L fwd to inner circle under joined hands with ¼ turn rt. to face CCW.

9-10            Move bwd L, R and face partner,

11-12          Step L to left, R across L joining both hands with partner.

13-16          M: Step L to left, R across L, L to left, hold. W: Turn to rt. with R, L under joined hands (W’s rt. and M’s left); Extend joined hands out to sides. W places her left hand on M’s rt. shoulder and he places his rt. hand around her waist. W: Step and lean on R to rt. extending L leg to left.

17-20          Straighten and step R to rt., hold; 1/2 turn CW together with two steps L, R. (W: R, L).

21-24          M: L tcherkessia step. (rock fwd and then bwd on L). W: (rock bwd then fwd on R).

25-26          M: Two steps fwd L, R turning W to her rt. as she turns with R, L under joined hands (his left, her rt.).

27-28          M: L bwd, R fwd in place (W: R bwd, L fwd in place)

29-32          Partners make ½ turn passing left shoulders. M: turns to left moving behind W to outer circle with L, R to face partner; L bwd, R fwd in place. W: turns to rt. moving in front of M to inner circle with R, L to face partner. R bwd, L fwd in place.

33-64          Repeat Part C, counts 1-32 beginning with W’s back to center.

Part D:       Face partner with M’s back toward center.

1-4              Step L to left while joining palms of hands with partner and lifting arms, hold; step R behind L, L in place.

5-8              Repeat counts 1-4 with opposite footwork and direction.

9-12            Sway L, R; step L across R to face CW raising joined M’s rt. and W’s left hands high, step back on R and face partner.

13-16          Face CCW: M; Four steps fwd beginning with L. W: Two turns rt. with four steps (R, L, R, L) under joined inside hands. End facing partner with M’s back to center.

17-20          Partners join both hands. Side-behind grapevine step moving CCW on line of circle: Step L to left, R behind L, L to left, R across L.

21-24          Step L to left and pivot to rt. to face CW, step on R: step L fwd pivot to rt., to face CCW, step on R.

Instructions notated by Honey Goldfein

 

Chai Le’Ma’anech

Lyrics and Music: Yoni Roeh

Singer: Ron Shoval

Lyrics transliteration
Kol boker mitoreret

Yafa kmo hazricha

Elai tamid chozeret

Sadeh shel pricha

Ahavati tihyeh lach

Or shel kochavim

U’vekoli ashir lach

At hatov she’bachayim

 

Chai le’ma’anech ha’ahava bo’eret

Chai le’ma’anech veha’esh betochi

Chai le’ma’anech bashemesh hazohéret

Chai u’mitochech sho’ev et kochi

Chai le’ma’anech karuach hanoshevet

 

Baderech hamefutélet

Rabim hamichsholim

Ve’at sham mechazeket

Mish’enet hashanim

 

Hakol ani eten lach

Gam et mekomi

U’me’ratzon omar lach

Bil’adaich ein ani

Chai le’ma’anech…

Transliteration by Benny Levy

 

Lyrics Translation

Every morning she awakens

Beautiful as the sunrise
She always returns to me
A field in full bloom

 

My love will be yours
A light of shining stars
And with my voice I will sing to you
You are all that is good in life

 

I live for you, the love is burning
I live for you, the fire is within me
I live for you in the radiant sun
I live and from you I draw my strength
I live for you, like the blowing wind

 

Along the winding road
There are many obstacles
And you are there, strengthening me
The support of my years

 

I will give you everything
Even my own place,
And willingly I will say to you
Without you, I am nothing

 

I live for you…