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Oren Shmuel, a certified folk dance instructor, dancer and creator with a unique style, was born (1970) and raised in Nahariya, Israel. Oren, an IT and Computers Practical Engineer working in Israel, dedicates most of his free time to teaching folk dancing in classes and courses across the country. Oren has been choreographing since the late 80's and has created some of the most memorable Israeli folk dance sequences.
He took his first steps in folk dancing learning from Yossi Ezra in Nahariya and later continued to perform as a soloist in the Hora Nahariya Dance Company after successfully completing the Seminar for Dance Instructors in Haifa in 1992, as a student of renowned choreographer Yonatan Gabay.
After his release from mandatory service in the IDF, Oren taught many courses, usually packed with eager dancers, in various settlements in the Upper Galilee, Western Galilee, Akko, northern suburbs and of course his home town – Nahariya. In addition, for many years Oren operated a project for Ethiopian immigrants at Hatzerot Yasaf, bringing the joy of folk dancing to the congregation and leading many of its members to join dance groups.
In 1992 he composed his first dance performance tilted Hora Nahariya, which was very successful and motivated Oren to continue creating dances. Oren has remained true to his love for this ethnic style and has personally adapted many of his dance steps. He also composes many sequences for some of Israel's favorite Hebrew classics.
In the past 20 years Oren Shmuel has created numerous dance steps, some of them for famous Hebrew songs, including:
Kesem Hallili [magic flute], Amen Lamilim [Amen to the words], Yerushalaim Shel Zahav [Jerusalem of gold], Hine Shana Overet [a year goes by], Habibi Ya Nur El Ein (Ahuv Shelli) [my beloved], Boei [come], Elohim Natan Lecha Be'Matana [G-d gave you a gift], Taanugot [pleasures], Barchenu [bless us], Yeled Hasade [child of the field], Hora Nahariya, Be'Eretz Ahavati Ha'shaked Poreach [the almond tree grows in my beloved country], Ba'Eretz Ha'Zot [in this country], Dam Dam, Miss Music, Reich Shel Yasmin [scent of jasmine], Shoshanat Plaeim [rose of wonder], Roni Li, Farahtini [in Yemenite: "You made me happy"], Ima Adama [mother earth], Simchat Yomi [joy of my day] and many more ..
Oren has presented a number of dances in various folk dance competitions in the Karmiel Dance Festival and in 2000, he won first place with his dance Tfilat Adam [prayer of man], a beginners dance.
In 2002, Oren created a dance number titled Hine Shana Overet [a year goes by] and said "hearing the pleasant voices of the Dudaim and Parvarim [famous Israeli song duos] I felt an intense feeling of longing that inspired me to compose this unique and delicate number. To my great joy, the number is danced with great enthusiasm and is currently being taught in dozens of classes across the country and worldwide."
The dance Kesem Halili [magic flute] was created in 2003 and won first prize as the public's favorite in the Karmiel Dance Festival. It also won first prize in the circle dances category at the annual dance parade for the year 2003 held at the Tel Aviv University. "The first time I heard this tune, I remembered motifs of European dance companies (Hungary and Ireland) which I met on one of my trips to a festival in Germany as the soloist in the Hora Nahariya Dance Company. We represented Israel in a festival with 22 participating countries from Europe and won second place. The original name of the musical segment (the complete piece) is Kol Lashalom [Voice of Peace] by Nomai Concept (Itzik Levi and Alon Danin) and appears in their album tilted Hotze Gvulot [Border Crosser].
The dance Amen Lamilim [Amen to the words] was also created in 2003 and won 5th place in the circle dances category of the annual dance parade for 2003 held at the Tel Aviv University. The dance has become exceptionally popular and an inalienable asset among the local and international folk dancing community.
Throughout his engagement in Israeli dance and folk dancing, Oren has been invited to participate in camps and seminars to teach his creations to the public in Israel and various other countries including: Russia, Australia, USA, Canada, Europe and more.
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