Chapter 17 Thurs. May 12 Hotel check-in and night out

As usual, we arrive at the hotel in the early evening along with 2 other tour buses so the lobby is loaded with luggage, no one can get thru and people are scurrying all over the place. I am becoming quite familiar with the Israeli word "balagan" - think SNAFU. Order is finally restored and we get our bags. Ronit wants to know who wants to go Israeli dancing but Andi and I pass on that, choosing to walk around the neighborhood instead.

We start walking in the direction that the concierge told us but I did have a map in my hand which I was referring to. A nice young gentleman walks over to us and tells us that he could get us lost much better than we could ourselves. He did give us accurate directions though.

We went to the Mamilla Mall which is a very upscale shopping area, outdoor cafes and beautiful, interesting sculptures lining the outdoor walkway through the center of the mall. The walkway was strung with blue and white tiny lightbulbs which added to the festive air. It was a little disconcerting seeing so many uniformed kids, looking no older than 16,  carrying automatic weapons slung over their shoulders. I did feel safe with them around.

Terre Wallach and a few others decide to go dancing and Terre has graciously added her commentary which follows:

Ruthie, Ronit's sister who lives in the U.S., but just about commutes to Israel on a regular basis, took us to this event.  She is a spitfire who also has this infectious Israeli spirit and loves/teaches Israeli folk dancing.

The venue was a school gym in Jerusalem and the regular participants were members of a club.  As visitors, we were given the option to look on at no cost or to pay a minimum entrance fee( Can't remember the $). 

The feeling in the room reminded me of an evening of American square dancing or the Texas two-step, but the rhythms were different---- swing, waltzes, Latin beats all to soothing Israeli melody.

The leader of the event was a DJ who also served as dance instructor to the approx. 50 couples in the room.

All dancing was done in a circle--- some dances were for couples, others were for individuals. 

Each song had corresponding choreography, similar dance steps, but different routines and all participants knew what was expected.

As onlooker/participants, 5 of us (Bev, Terri & David, Bobbi and I) stood behind the circle and tried to emulate.  It wasn't easy since there were a lot of turns in choreography that moved quickly and if you got confused it was easy to bump into folks.

The Israelis were friendly and encouraged us to join them, which we did.  A few people who had been to the US engaged us in conversation.

It was a fun filled evening and Ruthie can introduce us to an Israeli Folk Dancing experience in St. Augustine/Jacksonville if we wish.