Karmiel Dance Festival

The annual Karmiel Dance Festival is held every summer in the northern city of Karmiel: 80 performances, 5,000 dancers, 300,000 visitors, dance workshops, open dance sessions, competitions, parades and dancing marathons arround the clock.

The festival was first held in 1988 and it is a yearly event. It usually takes place in July or August and lasts for 3 days and nights. The Karmiel festival includes dance workshops, open dance sessions, competitions, parades and performances in many dance categories – Israeli and international. It is especially known as the most appreciated Israeli folk dance event that attracts people from all over Israel and from countries abbroad.

Israeli Folk Dance

The term "Israeli Dance" associates first of all with a folk dance, a form of dance performed in a circle or lines, couples or trios, choreographed for a specific piece of music. The fixed and repeating choreography or set of steps is similar to country-western line dancing in the U.S.

Israeli Folk Dance combines different cultures dance elements such as the Mizrahi, Yemenite, Sephardi and Jewish Eastern European with modern Israeli music.

Originally, Israeli Folk Dance has been formed as a celebration of a new culture in an old land. Today it is a popular recreational activity in Israel that became known around the world.

Karmiel

The young northern city of Karmiel is known for the Karmiel Dance Festival but also is an environmental, educational and cultural center of Galilee. Karmiel is located in the Beit HaKerem Valley surrounded by a breathtaking landscape of Galilee mountains.

Being established in 1964, Karmiel became a home for Jews from 75 different nations. The city is situated next to Arab villages and also known for successful Arab-Jewish coexistence and cooperation.