Sixteen top dancers from the group Tzuza of the Art City dance group in Kiryat Malachi traveled to the US TIPS Partnership communities the end of April and early May to perform in Tucson, Phoenix and Seattle and to interact with members of the local Jewish community.
In Phoenix, the group did a presentation at the JFCS Senior Center.
They also talked and did a workshop at the BJE Hebrew High School.
The students at the Jess Schwartz Jewish Day School enjoyed the workshop and the presentation by the group.
They also danced at the Pardes Jewish Day School.
For part of a day they traveled to Sedona with Jess Schwartz 10th graders.
On April 25th, they were a main attraction at the community Yom Ha'atzmaut Celebration.
Because some of the greater Phoenix Jewish schools, the JCC and the Federation are all on one campus, the dancers had a chance to interact with the high school students almost daily. As a result, they got to know each other well, and on the 11th grade trip to May in a few weeks, it was decided that they would meet again in Israel where they would be hosted by the dancers in the Kiryat Malachi area. After Phoenix, the dancers went to Tucson, where they also performed on the 25th at a huge community-wide Yom Haatzmaut celebration with over 500 in attendance. Some of the Phoenix Jewish youth missed the Israelis so much that they drove up one afternoon to visit. We could really see the people to people connection these youth had made!
