Karen Goodman will introduce a folkloric trope of Ashkenazic dance through the work of four artists: S. An-sky, Nathan Vizonsky, Judith Berg and Benjamin Zemach.

S. An-sky wrote the 1915 play, The Dybbuk or Between Two Worlds, which was based on his ethnographic research between 1912-14 amongst rural Jews in what is now Ukraine.

Lodz-born and raised Nathan Vizonsky came to the U.S. in 1920 and became an early figure in American Jewish folk and modern dance. He wrote the 1942 book Ten Jewish Folk Dances. Warsaw-born Judith Berg choreographed the 1937 film, The Dybbuk. Bialystok-born Benjamin Zemach was in the original Habima production of An-sky’s play in 1922.

During a 2016 study tour to Poland with Rabbi Haim Beliak, Karen Goodman was inspired to dance in the old synagogue in Kazimierz Dolny. In this town, segments of The Dybbuk were filmed, and more recently, a short film was made by Goodman with the videography of Dr. Richard Hecht, reflecting her years of delving into these artists’ work. Goodman will show her award-winning 12-minute Dybbuk Remix: Dancing Between Worlds as part of the webinar.

Karen Goodman’s diverse experience in the world of dance has, in recent years, focused on Ashkenazi elements, inspired by her heritage, including an intense commitment to learning Yiddish.