Wednesday, July 22, 2009

The Myths about Israelis

Last year I lived in Israel for eleven months, dancing with the KCDC dance troupe. During the year before that I did many auditions to modern dance schools abroad. I was accepted to a few modern dance programs, but I always had a longing to see the holy land, so I chose to study modern dance in Israel.
I chose the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company, because its name appealed to my secret dream- to study in an Israeli Kibbutz.
Up to then I believed in some stereotypes regarding Kibbutz and Israeli society in general. After a year of living in Kibbutz Ga'aton I discovered that most of these stereotypes are exaggerated or out of date.
So for those who will be visiting Israel soon, here are some stereotypes that, as exotic as they are, are not true….
A. The Kaki pants and the brown sandals went out of style a very long time ago…
B. During my stay in Israel, which lasted a year, I've seen only one Israeli picking his nose - and he was four years old.
C. Most Kibbutz children nowadays live with their parents.
D. Israelis are not that rude. I survived many Israeli lines in bus stops, shopping centers and markets.
E. Israelis don't know how to dress- well, it's true. Sorry.

Although I discovered that most of these myths are not true, I did have a unique experience dancing with an Israeli modern dance troupe. I guess many others are now looking for this experience, since there were more than 400 people in Germany auditioning to KCDC dance troupe during their tour in Europe. I hope they will enjoy the same experience I had.

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