Local Israeli Folk Dancers Shine at Camp

Israeli folk dance instructor Meliss Jakubovic recently led a cadre of dance students to Machol Maryland, an Israeli folk dance camp located near Washington, D.C.

Dancers Blair Cohen, Marina Schwartz, Arielle Kurtze, Galya Fischer, Liora Dressler, Jason Holt, Dr. Danny Gottlieb, Sheryl Rechtman, Jami Rechtman, Marge Haders, Elaine Berger, and Rachel Stark – who serves as the Beginners/Intermediate Leader – joined Jakubovic for the intensive, four-day dance camp experience.

Jakubovic, who previously taught at The Epstein School for 19 years prior to COVID, welcomed back former students Berger, Fischer, and Dressler who studied under Jakubovic in elementary and middle school.

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The camp, now in its second year, featured expert Israeli choreographers and attracted more than 250 dancers. Jakubovic, who has been teaching Israeli folk dancing across Atlanta for two and a half decades, explained how the camp operates.

Mother-daughter photo: (From left) Meliss Jakubovic, Jacki Jacoby Smith, Jami Rectman, Sheryl Rectman, Arielle Kurtze, and Rachel Stark

“During the day, there are teaching workshops and specialty sessions. We break for meals and rest, but that’s just the beginning. Dance marathons begin around 9 p.m. each night and can go as late as 4 or 6 in the morning.”

Jakubovic shared that while the camp schedule can seem exhausting, the experience is well worth it as forever friendships are forged on and off the dance floor.

“Dance camps are four days in a row of 18 hours a day of dancing … pretty much … and you grab a snack or a nap whenever you can. In the midst of it all, you are connected with people who share the same love and passion as you do of dance, Israel, culture, and music. Some of my greatest and lifelong friends come from my dance camp world,” she said.

Jakubovic, who has certainly carved her niche in the Jewish Atlanta community, likes to joke that she has taught every Jewish child in Atlanta. Not only was she at Epstein for nearly two decades, but she also served as choreographer and stage manager of Shiriyah, “Myrna Rubel’s Epstein creation in which the entire middle school performed a singing and dancing celebration, all in Hebrew with a theme. This show was a staple in the community and sparked many graduates wanting to continue dancing with me into high school.”

Meliss Jakubovic (second from right) is pictured with dance students Galya Fischer, Elaine Berger, and Liora Dressler.

Jakubovic also directed and choreographed Nitzanim, Atlanta’s only Israeli folk dance performing group, for nine years, and taught periodically at Temima, Yeshiva, Greenfield Hebrew Academy, Epstein Elementary, Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, synagogue events, and more. She explained that many of the dancers who attend her weekly session have been studying with her for most of their lives, and that several of her former Epstein students who were drawn to the folk dancing and culture at school sought out further instruction once the classes at Epstein had ended.

“While my time at Epstein was monumental for me to share my joy with the next generations, it wasn’t until recently that I saw the fruits of my labor blossom,” she said. “Many of my then-young elementary and middle school students decided to attend my weekly adult session.”

Jakubovic also noted that 2024 is the 100th anniversary of Israeli folk dancing as the first folk dance was officially choreographed by Baruch Agadati in 1924. The dance, Hora Agadati, differs greatly from modern folk dancing, Jakubovic said, as it is a simple, two-part dance with no turns.

“Now, many of the popular songs you would hear on the radio have a choreographed dance to them. The steps are more intricate and challenging, although there are many dances that are easier and slow,” she said. “There really is something for everyone – with so many different styles of songs and steps, there is a ton of variety.”

She then related the significance of attending Machol Maryland on the 100th anniversary of Israeli folk dancing after the brutal attacks by Hamas on Oct. 7.

“Especially following the Oct. 7 [attack], it felt more important than ever,” she said, adding that she is close friends with the camp’s director, Mona Atkinson, and that it was an honor “to support her endeavor of bringing so many dancers of so many generations together.”

For Jakubovic, as a folk-dance instructor, dance camps provide a link to her treasured past – and heritage — and a connection to her future as she helps instill a love for the culture in a new generation.

“Going to Machol Maryland was a combination of my favorite thing in the world and a reunion of influential people in my life who share the same joy.”

Jakubovic’s weekly dance session, MacholAtlanta, is offering a new beginner’s dance cohort starting March 19. For information about the weekly sessions, workshops, and more, please visit www.RikudAtlanta.com.