"Deborah becomes dissatisfied with the glorification of war," Dr. In its retelling through motion, the story (Judges 5) takes on a strong contemporary female - even feminist - perspective. Tucker choreographed "Deborah," the tale of the judge and prophet who helped the Jews defeat the armies of Canaan. Last January, in response to the war with Iraq, Dr. "It's another creative way to understand the meaning of Torah." "In Reform, which is liberal, such creativity is welcomed," he said. He described midrash as "a genre of literature" that seeks "to probe the nuances of meaning in text and to explore what's between the lines." Block, said the Avodah troupe was engaged in what Reform theologians regarded as modern midrash. "Through improvisation, dancers remain connected to the line of text but see how many different ways they can spin it."Īmong the synagogues at which the troupe has performed is Temple Sinai of Bergen County, in Tenafly. "The model creates wonderfully fertile ground to push forward the creative process," she said. Tucker likens the use of improvisational dance in a religious context to the process of debating, exploring and commenting. These disputations continue to this day, and Dr. Tucker says reached its full flowering in the fourth century A.D., involved exploring all possible meanings of a text, to "connect an ancient story to the perfect moment." A finely honed theatrical sensitivity and an impulse toward feminism intersect in her work with the almost 2,000-year-old tradition of religious interpretation, disputation and commentary. Tucker was trained at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance and at Juilliard and earned a doctorate in theater arts at the University of Wisconsin. Tucker calls "the sermon slot." Among the dances are "The Binding of Isaac," "Rebekah's Veil," "Moses Sees the Golden Calf" and "Striking the Rock."ĭr. So far, only Reform rabbis have integrated the dances into their synagogues' Torah readings, but Conservative rabbis have used them in what Dr. Dressed in long, dark skirts that sweep out swirling arcs as they follow the lines of extended legs, the dancers, in their leaps, turns and falls, seem to carry echoes of some distant desert culture. Often set to music with a Middle East flavor, the works mainly involve the four women who make up the corps of the troupe. Tucker holds for religious educators and study groups, but also as part of the services in Reform synagogues. Their work has been performed not only in concerts and in dance workshops that Dr. ![]() JoAnne Tucker, a Jersey City resident, and her dancers try to illuminate and interpret religious text, filling in the gaps and fleshing out the characters. The troupe's founder and choreographer, Dr. The troupe, which began in Florida in 1974, uses dance as a form of midrash, or commentary on the Torah, which is the first five books of the Old Testament. FOR the ancient Israelites, the Hebrew word "avodah" meant worship or service, and the Avodah Dance Ensemble has taken that meaning as its mission.
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