Many Israeli dances are done to songs with lyrics taken directly from the Bible and Jewish liturgy. One of the most well known is Hine Ma Tov; the words are from Psalm 13 and translate to "How good it is for brothers to live together in peace and harmony." This song is sung regularly at Shabbat and High Holiday services.
The first dance version was choreographed in 1950 by Israeli dance pioneer and choreographer Rivka Sturman, using an Ashkenazic melody. It’s a simple two-part dance, done holding hands in a circle:
The other common melody is Chassidic, and is often sung as a round. It was popularized when it was included in the classic songbook Rise Up Singing. Here’s a version from Abayuda of Uganda:
And here’s a beautiful rendition by Harry Belafonte:
In 1999 a new version, commonly dubbed Hine Ma Tov 2, became the hit of the Israeli folk dance scene. The song is performed by the Miami Boys Choir, with music composed by Moshe Jacobson and dance choreography by Silvio Belfen.
It’s interesting to note the profound difference between Sturman’s simple two-part dance and the newer line dance version, which mirrors the increasing complexity of life in Israel (and the world) over time.
Hine Ma Tov 2 created a flash mob dance craze around the world.
This one’s from Spain:
And my absolute favorite:
This one ditches the choreography - but you just have to love these construction workers!
