This article appeared in the Nov. 24, 2005 Jewish Advocate.

Sounds and moves from warm regions beat the chill:

HaKesher and BCCA present Middle Eastern music/dance

BY SUSIE DAVIDSON

Given recent changes in the weather, Sunday evening’s multiethnic program of diverse entertainment at Dionysos Greek Restaurant in Cambridge provided a welcome chance to enjoy some warming sounds, dance moves, food and drink.

“Traditional Meets Contemporary: A Jewish and Middle Eastern World Music and Dance Concert,” produced by HaKesher Magazine and the Brookline Community Center for the Arts (BCCA) in conjunction with Johara Snakedance Productions, featured an ambitious roster of music, song and dance. As if a 30th anniversary reunion concert by renowned Israeli musical ensemble Tsliley Haud wasn’t enough, the bill also included open dancing and performances by local belly dancer Johara as well as BCCA head Dan Ben-Dror Marshall, who showcased Dabki, Yemenite, Persian, and Raks Sharqui (belly dance) styles.

Partial proceeds from tickets sold by Marshall helped to support the BCCA, a non-profit dance/arts organization that until this past May was located at 14 Green St. in Brookline.

Tsliley Haud, which means “The Tunes of the Oud,” formed in 1974 and produced 11 records. Some of their songs became classic folk dances and Chafla (celebration) tunes. The group, which combines East and West influences, features the guitar-like Oud, a plucked lute-type instrument of the Arab world. They rejoined in 2003 after an 18-year hiatus, and on Sunday, nearly 100 people filled the restaurant, which is located inside the Radisson Hotel along the Charles River, to hear original singer Rami Danoch, for the first time in Boston, perform three decades’ worth of classics from Israel, Yemen, and Morocco.

Danoch, who hails from Yemen and is regarded as a forefather of Sephardic music in Israel, and pianist/synth player Yaniv Ravizada joined with percussionist Ronen Evron from the Berklee School of Music (both are Israelis). Dionysos proprietor George Kariotis offered traditional Greek delicacies, and as nearly half the room got up to dance during the group’s medley of hits, he joined them on the floor himself.

The evening also included a tribute to Zohar Argov (1955-1987), for whom founding member-guitarist Yehuda Keissar had written compositions. Argov, a Middle Eastern and Oriental music singer with a fascinating yet tragic life, still commands cult status in Israel. The group performed several of Argov’s hit songs, which included “Sod Hamazalot,” or “The Secret of the Zodiac,” written by Yemenite singer Avihu Medina and made popular by Argov, and “Od Yom Yavo,” or “Again, A Day Will Come.” Tsliley Haud’s own songs included their number one hit from 1974, “Chanale Hitbalbela,” or “The Young Woman Got Confused,” and “Ofra.” They also performed two traditional Jewish songs, the Havdallah tune “La Nir Velivfamim,” or “To the Candle and the Spices,” and “Shalom le Vendodi,” or “Hello to my Nephew.”

"The most beautiful thing about music and dance is that they sometimes bring unlikely people together," said Johara (which means "Jewel" in Arabic). Johara, whose real name is Juliette Cusick, holds a B.A. in Spanish and an M.A. in Applied Linguistics from UMass Boston. A dancer, drummer, choreographer and teacher who specializes in Middle Eastern dance, she also earned a degree in Jazz and studied at Berklee. Among the award-winning bellydancers she has trained, she said, are women (and occasionally men) who are scientists, secretaries, schoolteachers, students and housewives from every socio-economic class and culture. She had words of praise for Marshall and the BCCA. "He helps all types of artists to flourish."

Clearly, the crowd felt the same. “Dan is full of spirit and organization,” said Yinon Shmaryahu, a member of the Sephardic Congregation of Brookline. “The evening was good for the soul,” said audience members Eli Cohen and Moshe Katz. Nearby, Yehuda Asulin remarked that for him, it was the best night in the longest time. “It was awesome – just like a Mizrahi wedding,” added Lois Gordon.

“Hearing the Oud made for a breathtaking evening full of wonderful music and dance,” echoed attendee Nava Subary Ervin, as she expressed appreciation to the organizers. “Thanks for bringing Israel to us.”