Global Spotlight

The purpose of this section is to shine a “spotlight” on Israeli folk dance groups around the globe highlighting the instructor, the activities, and the dancing community.

Following the horrific terror attack that took place in Bondi this year, we chose to begin with the groups led by Frances Fester in Sydney, Australia.

The Editorial Team

 

Frances Fester

I began dancing Israeli folk dances in 1987 and have been teaching since 1990. I have loved, and continue to love, every moment of this fascinating journey. Dance has brought me immense personal joy, and teaching has allowed me to share that joy with others. I am 71 years old – born December 1954 – and I hope to have many more years doing what I love most – dancing to beautiful music and feeling, as I always do, deeply connected to Israel.

My husband, Sami Bouskila, was born in Nahariya, Israel, in 1965. He has been dancing Israeli folk dances since the age of 10 and has performed many times with local dance groups, alongside his most beloved teacher, Menachem Menachem. Sami has danced from a very young age. He arrived in Australia in 1989, immediately found our dance group, and has been an integral part of it ever since.

We married in 1992 and had a child together. This is my second marriage; from my first marriage I have three children. Sami is my best partner in life, in partner dances, and in helping to run our large Wednesday night sessions. Sami has been my constant support throughout the 34 years we have been together.

We hold an annual dance camp in a beautiful setting about an hour and a half from Sydney. We invest all the work together so that we can teach our dancers both new and traditional dances in a relaxed environment, while nurturing a love for Israel and Israeli dance. The camp includes group singing around a bonfire, and over the years we have also hosted instructors from Israel.

Originally, I was an elementary school teacher, and I brought those skills into teaching Israeli dance. For 20 years, I taught in Jewish schools and choreographed many Independence Day performances, sometimes involving around 60 children.

Today, and for many decades now, my sole profession is teaching Israeli dance.

My Classes

I currently run three dance sessions each week and may add a fourth this year. My group is known as “Dances with Frances”.

Our main dance evening takes place on Wednesday nights in Kensington and lasts three hours. For security reasons, I do not provide the exact address. The age range spans from the youngest dancer at 43 to the oldest at 86. Most participants are in their late 50s to late 60s, and the majority are women.

We have about 12 men, and when we dance partner dances, most pairs consist of two women.

Most of my dancers are Australian Jews.

The evening includes three parts:

• Beginners – a new group with about 25 learners
• Advanced – between 50 and 60 dancers
• Partner dances – about 15 couples

In addition, I teach two daytime classes each week in Bondi:

• Mondays from 12:30 to 14:30
• Thursdays from 10:30 to 12:30

 

After COVID

COVID caused significant setbacks, and I essentially had to rebuild my group from scratch. Today the community is growing, with many new dancers joining. We have reached an impressive level, and I have even managed to attract a younger crowd than before. We are now dancing at an advanced level.

Contact information:

Frances Fester

Phone: +61 412 164 442

Email: francesfester@hotmail.com

Website: www.israelidancingsydney.com.au

 

Dancers Share Their Stories

Jacquie Wayne

I started dancing Israeli dances in May 2019, just before COVID broke out, and I can truly say that dancing has changed my life.

The sense of community, love, joy, and the spirit within the dances has become a huge part of my life. Being Jewish is very meaningful to me, and Israeli dance makes me feel deeply connected to my roots. I feel incredibly lucky to have found a passion that I love and that carries such deep meaning.

Through Israeli music, dance, and the connection to my community, we have become one big, happy family.

Frances is an amazing teacher, and we are all truly fortunate to have her as our teacher and mentor. Her passion and love for Israeli dance inspire everyone who dances with her. She is extremely professional, with over 35 years of experience, and she makes every class accessible to everyone, regardless of level or experience.

I dance three times a week, and if I could, I would dance every day.

Thank you, Frances.

 

Jennifer Smith

“Dances with Frances” sets the rhythm of my week. I can’t do without it. It is my connection to Israel, to Zionism, and to my community. At the same time, my attraction to these dances lies in their universality, as the music and movement extend to the wider world. I hear a samba rhythm, or a debka beat. This sound has an African flavor! Is that an Irish jig? Was that a tango step?

I started dancing with Frances about ten years ago, when I needed an alternative to the dry, repetitive stress of aerobic workouts. Research has shown that art combined with exercise would motivate and connect me, and that’s exactly what it did. When I am in motion, I am connected to myself.

Thank you, Frances. I owe you a thank you.

 

Ruth Forman

Seven years ago, I heard some of my friends talking about Israeli dance and how much fun it was. They spoke with such enthusiasm that I decided to try it myself. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

After a year or two of struggling to learn the language of dance, everything suddenly clicked thanks to the wonderful teaching of Frances Fester and the experienced dancers in the center of the circle, who help everyone follow the steps through Frances’ clear and skillful instruction.

I never imagined I would love Israeli dance so much or that it would give so much to me personally. This is a community within the Sydney community, and seeing the same faces week after week so happy to come and dance has become a cherished part of my weekly routine, twice a week.

We all share the same love: dancing, listening to Israeli music, and feeling a connection to Israel through our dance gatherings. Beyond the joy, we check in on one another, especially those with family in Israel. We come from different parts of Sydney, yet we are connected through our identity as Jews, and as a people who express so many emotions through song and dance.

Gradually, we get to know the other dancers, their personal stories, who is learning Hebrew, how we navigate the current political climate, or simply chatting with the person next to us.

A highlight for many of us is the annual dance camp, with dates marked in our calendars a year in advance. It’s our opportunity to dance, laugh, let go, and connect. Frances has found the perfect formula for a wonderful experience that always begins with Friday night Kiddush, grounding us in tradition, followed by dancing, singing, and a party that celebrates life and allows us to disconnect from the outside world.

During this difficult period of our ongoing history, the regular schedule of our dance sessions provides a space to gather as proud Jews and embrace one another in the ecstasy of dance.

Martin Friedman

My wife Carol and I started dancing with Frances Fester 32 years ago at the Hakoah Club in Bondi, Sydney.

I didn’t want to start dancing because I thought, like most people, that Israeli dancing was just the Hora we do at weddings, and I couldn’t think of anything more boring. Friends from Melbourne asked me to take them to an Israeli dance club, and from the moment I walked in, I was hooked.

Dancing makes me feel happy, and I forget any problems I might have outside the dance floor. Wherever we travel, we make sure there’s a place to dance. We’ve danced in Melbourne, Perth, Israel, the United States, South America, London, Budapest, Warsaw, and Berlin. Teachers and choreographers everywhere have heard of Frances Fester from Australia and how exceptional she is.

 

Jacqui Sesel

I first discovered Israeli dance in the early 1980s when I was part of a Zionist youth movement in South Africa, and I loved it. After moving to Australia, many years passed before I heard about Israeli dance classes in Sydney. I started in February 2023, and my husband Ken joined in 2025. Almost immediately, I realized I had found something truly special, something that nourishes my soul.

Dancing in Sydney under the guidance of Frances Fester has given me far more than just movement. It has brought special friendships, a strong sense of community, and a deep connection to Israel and Zionism, at a time when this connection in the Diaspora felt especially important and challenging. When we dance together, words are unnecessary. The movement itself connects us on an emotional and spiritual level.

This strong sense of family and belonging became even more vital after October 7. The pain was collective and shared, and to some extent eased when we danced together under the guidance of our exceptional teacher, Frances Fester, who during this period taught us dances specifically created during wartime and after October 7, as expressions of solidarity.

We could not have imagined how much we would need this healing release when terror reached our own doorstep on Bondi Beach on December 14.

Israeli dancing with Frances Fester in Sydney is the tonic and elixir that carries us through the week.

 

Gill Cohn

“Dances with Frances” makes me happy. A year has passed since I joined, and I’m glad I did.

The challenge of mastering a new dance is fun, and the music is addictive. Belonging to the dance community is important also, but it is Frances’s vibrant personality that inspires us all.

Louise Sussman

It took almost 20 years for some of my friends to encourage me to join them in Israeli dancing. In 2012, I finally joined “Dances with Frances” as a beginner. It is only in recent years that I have been regularly attending the weekly classes, and I’ve come to understand the physical and emotional benefits, as well as the joy of social connection with my community and with Israel. Especially since October 7, and more recently, after the massacre at Bondi Beach, dance has been, and continues to be, a safe space where we can be together and support one another. Frances and Sami have created a warm and encouraging atmosphere where dancers of all levels of experience are welcome.