Yehuda Ben Harush, Dunav chairman
Background
Yehuda's been dancing for over a decade and has been running the weekly Balkan dancing group in Jerusalem since Dunav was founded. For the past eight years, he's run the dance group in Haifa as well.
During this time he's introduced close to 200 dances, mostly dances that he brought back with him from various trips to Balkan countries and villages.
He created and maintains the Dunav database, directs the Dunav performing group and produces all of Dunav products.
Dunav related activities
Yehuda instigates and runs many Dunav activities, including the dance happenings, the theme parties, local dance seminars and the annual Dunav sponsored weekend seminar abroad. Last year, 45 dancers joined him in Varna for a folkdance weekend with a local dance teacher and live music. This year, Ersin joined over 40 of us in Antalia for a Turkish folk dance weekend.
The Dunav performing group, which Yehuda directs, performs periodically at folklore events. The choreographies are mostly medleys of authentic Balkan dances, with just enough choreography to make them "stage ready".
Over the years Yehuda has produced 12 music CDs of Balkan music for the organization; two books with lyrics and translations to songs, each with an accompanying set of three CDs; and 3 DVDs documenting 60 Balkan dances, performed by the Dunav dance troupe.
A year ago Yehuda began a virtual club, and he sends out regular updates about Dunav events, in addition to a new song every week. Membership is free.
Dunav database
Ten years ago Yehuda began organizing his folklore collection in a dynamic database that has grown into the richest available repository of Balkan folklore in digital format. The largest, most comprehensive digital folklore database in existence, it includes over 12,000 songs in MP3 format and 2000 dance clips in MPEG format, all linked and searchable according to country, region, dance type, dance teacher, each documented with the relevant song origin, song lyrics and translation, dance notes, regional costumes and other relevant information.
Information and knowledge
Yehuda gathered most of his knowledge from the source by attending seminars and workshops in the Balkan countries and all over Europe.
- Eight folklore trips to dance seminars in more than 30 villages all over Romania, including Moldavia, North and South Transylvania, Oltenia, and Muntenia.
- Four folklore trips to dance seminars to Bulgaria to local villages in the regions of Trakia, Pirin, Sopluk, and Dobruga.
- Four folklore trips to dance seminars in Greece, including trips to local villages in the regions of Macedonia, Thessaloniki, and Thessaly.
- Two folklore trips to dance seminars in Serbia in the regions of South and East Sumadia and Vranja.
- One folklore trip and dance seminar to Turkey, including trips to local villages.
- Seven trips to Balkan dance seminars by world renowned Balkan dance teachers in Germany, Holland, and France.