WE DANCE THE YEMENITE STEP WITH OFRA HAZA

Yemen’s influence on folk music of Israel — at the heart of the songs of Yemeni-Israeli musical legends like Ofra Haza — is strong.

A Jewish vocalist of Yemenite ancestry, Haza blended Yemenite music with modern instruments and song structures to create a dynamic and wildly popular rootsy pop-folk. In this video of “Tzur Manoti,” an ancient Jewish devotional text from Yemen that Haza made popular in Israel, Haza and her costumed and very animated performers dance the Yemenite step, also known as the Temadi — one of the most popular steps in Israeli folk dance.