Last weekend we were in the studio in Tel Aviv, rehearsals and a performance before our trip to France.
In the recent months I have been working with Rabeah Morkus, as a part from a project called “bridges” – connecting Jewish and Arab youth from the north through dance.
In a week we fly together to Lyon, to the dance center of the choreographer Yuval Pick, a week of workshops and creative process with a local youth group.
Sharon Ashkenazi, a good friend of mine and Rabeah over the years, initiated, produces and manages our journey.

I want to share with you three little moments that have filled my heart this weekend:

First moment
We finished the rehearsals on Friday, late in the evening.
The group from the north came to the big city, we all were very tired and excited.
Rabeah and I loaded after weeks of work, while the weekend we were not with our families, but rehearsal studio. Exhausted and a little bit concerned about what will happen tomorrow, how we can finish the show when we have only one day of rehearsals.
While we organize the studio, and think about tomorrow rehearsals, Nur, one of the young men from Acre, going to the sound system and connects his mobile phone. Loud music fills the space.
In a moment all the group are on their feet, form of a circle, jumping and each time something else went inside for a few moments. In the background sound of applause and whistles to encourage the dancer.
Their Eyes fatigue and radiant with happiness. They laugh and went wild, every time something else ran to put another song that made everyone jump. They celebrate together.
Tomorrow we have a long day of rehearsals and a performance, but they – like there is no tomorrow.
Rabeah and I look from the side. It is worth everything, every moment of connection that spontaneous breaks them out, they are happy, full of energy and they are together the simplest way of joy and liberation.

Second moment
Within a period of rehearsals with such a large group of dancers, there are moments we work with some of the dancers and some have to wait. It requires a lot of concentration, attention and patience from everyone.
In a corner of the studio stands Whiteboard, which my son, Aviv, who joined me in the studio the day before, drew on it during rehearsals.
On Saturday morning, the heart of the work, I look to the corner. Two girls, one Jewish and one Arab, started a languages lesson ?? on the whiteboard: one writes a word in Arabic, the other in Hebrew. They sit, talking quietly, laughing. Here, so naturally it happens, just because there is time to be together. Really get to know each other intimately and closely.

Third moment
Saturday night we had the show in the studio, guest arrived, students from the studio, friends and some parents of the youth.
Usually it takes weeks and months to create a show. But Rabeah and I use to working under difficult conditions, believe it is possible, that the impossible will become possible. It requires a lot as we demanded from them. The audience sits and we do not know how it will be.
The show starts, they are concentrated, attentive, give themselves, remember all the notes, they are just adorable.
Sense of excitement holding me and the eyes filled with tears. It’s touching, how it can be simple, how much it feels right.
A sense of light radiating out from the group. All natural for them now, anything is possible.
The crowd claps for several long minutes, a group of 22 young boys and girls standing in a row, and they bow down.
I feel our excitement, the audience, larger than their. They’re just dancing and having fun, we standing tearfully, experience through them the possibility of returning to believe.
For a moment I felt the brilliant light radiates outward, beyond the studio, a moment of hope.
It is possible to dance together, it is possible to create together, to live together, and want the best for our children. For ourselves.

I share moments of excitement, the satisfaction of the good. But in order for them to happen, we, Rabeah and I separately and together, are many moments of hard work, hours of investment, of dealing with the fact that we work voluntarily without any support only through faith.
As Rabeah said at a conversation we had with them on Saturday morning:
“We are not ready to leave the hope, so we prepared to stand up for another Saturday of rehearsals, talk and explain, teach and try to create a youth group dancing together, because we believe that the dance is a good bridge, honest and courageous meeting between us.”
When we return from France we plan to continue to work together, to appear and to build a band together with the group of Arab and Jewish dance.
We will be happy all the support, help co.