Squares and circles and lines, oh my!  Join Yiddish dance leader ne plus ultra Steven Weintraub for a pre-Purim hoedown Barn-dance style, to the foot-stomping tune of klezmer melodies led by the Amy Zakar Fidl Kapelye (Amy Zakar, Aaron Alexander, Lily Henley, Duncan Wickel, violins; Ljova, viola; Lauren Brody, accordion; and Reuben Radding, bass.)  Folk dance enthusiasts and beginners are welcome, and all klezmer fans encouraged to attend!

Steve is a teacher, choreographer, and performer of Jewish dance, particularly  Yiddish dance, the dance to klezmer music.

Born on Governor’s Island, Bar Mitzvahed in the Bronx, and living now in Philadelphia, Steven Lee Weintraub received his dance training in Manhattan with Alvin Ailey and Erick Hawkins, among others. He is in international demand as a teacher of traditional Yiddish dance at festivals and workshops including Klezkamp, Klezkanada, and festivals in Krakow, Furth, Paris and London to name a few.  Steven delights in introducing people to the figures, steps and stylings of the dances that belong to Klezmer music. He has often been called the “Pied Piper of Yiddish Dance”; his years of experience leading and researching Yiddish dance allow him to quickly weave dancers and music together in astonishing ways. Young and old, from all backgrounds, find it easy to share in the joy of Yiddish dancing.

Amy Zakar is the violinist of The Klez Dispensers and has taught on the faculty of KlezKamp and KlezKanada.  A second-generation musician and educator, she has also performed and recorded with the Skymusic Ensemble and the West Philadelphia Orchestra. 

The Amy Zakar Fidl Kapelye was formed in December 2013 and has performed at Yiddish KlezFest in the Bronx as well as the New York Klezmer Series. They are a “string super-group” made up of some of the New York area’s finest and most versatile klezmer musicians.  Their melodies and rhythms are entrancing and always set audiences’ feet dancing!