Join our monthly series celebrating The Joy of Jewish Music and Dance! Great for musicians, dancers, and enthusiasts to meet, schmooze, or simply to take in the beauty of these rich traditions. Bring your instruments, voices, and dancing shoes.
This month is all about Klezmer! We will be joined by Mike Perlmutter and Jonathan Kipp of Saul Goodman’s Klezmer Band, and dance instructor, Bruce Bierman.
During the first 90 minutes, participants can choose between spaces to learn multi-ethnic music and dance technique and styles. Participants will all come together for a 30 minute dance party focusing on the dances and tunes taught in the prior hour. The remaining segment will be an informal music jam in one or more of the classroom spaces at the JCC East Bay.
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Meet our guest teachers:
Mike Perlmutter has been performing klezmer, Balkan, and ceremonial Jewish music on saxophone and clarinet for over twenty years with groups such as Saul Goodman’s Klezmer Band, Inspector Gadje, Zoyres Eastern European Wild Ferment, the Chochmat Halev Sacred Music Ensemble, and the Kehilla Klezmer Band. Mike has a long history of community music organizing, including serving four years on the Board of Directors for KlezCalifornia. Outside of music he’s an environmental conservation professional and activist, pickler, gardener, bicyclist, swimmer, husband, and father.
Jonathan Kipp is a percussionist, accordionist, singer, teacher, and accordion repairman based in Oakland. He plays a variety of styles including folk, jazz, classical, pop, electronic, and avant garde.
Bruce Bierman is a celebrated Jewish dance master, theater director, and arts educator. He is co-artistic director of the award-winning Yiddish Theatre Ensemble in Berkeley where he has directed and choreographed The Megilleh of Itzik Manger for the Berkeley Jewish Music Festival, Sholem Asch’s God of Vengeance, and most recently Between Worlds starring Naomi Newman. He served as Yiddish dance and theater dramaturg for Paula Vogel’s Tony Award winning play, Indecent at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Arena Stage and the most recent production at the San Francisco Playhouse which YTE also co-produced. Bruce was also a lead dancer and teaching artist with the Los Angeles Aman Folk Ensemble bringing world music and dance to youth throughout the L.A. Unified School District.
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Single session tickets: Sliding scale $25-54
Full series ticket: $180
Full series tickets: Register here
Single session tickets:
January 26, 2025 – Mike Perlmutter, Jonathan Kipp, and Bruce Bierman
February 23, 2025 – Ilya Shneyveys and Sarah Myerson
March 23, 2025 – Peter Bonos and Bruce Bierman
April 27, 2025 – Dror Sinai, Rachel Valfer, and Bruce Bierman
May 18, 2025 – To be announced
Presented in partnership with KlezCalifornia’s Yiddish Culture Fund.
