Jill Feingold-Damti and Amnon Damti come from different worlds. American-born, but raised in Israel as one of seven children, Feingold studied gymnastics and performed water ballet and studied film at Tel Aviv University. Damti, the Israeli son of a Yemenite mother, grew up institutionalized in a facility for deaf children. He was fortunate to study in a dance program with renowned Israeli dancer and choreographer Moshe Efrati, who taught deaf students his principles of dance — breaking barriers decades before inclusion became a buzzword in cultural, educational and Jewish organizations.
When the two met nearly 40 years ago, the blonde-haired American girl who spoke Hebrew and loved swimming with dolphins and the dark-haired Yemenite man who communicated with his body and hands rather than his voice, found their separate worlds merge. They’ve been together ever since as artistic and life partners presenting their critically acclaimed Two Worlds Dance program, which is touring Jewish and Deaf communities throughout the United States this summer.
On July 21, Makom, an organization that supports adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities with programs, group housing and activities of daily living in Montgomery County, Maryland, Fairfax County, Virginia, and nearby locations, brought the dance duo to Congregation B’nai Tzedek in Potomac. The interactive performance engaged both children and adults, including a few who gamely and joyfully came up to the stage when invited to dance with Amnon.
“What does makom mean?” Iris Aharonovich, the Rockville-based organization’s director of fun, faith and experience, asked the audience what the Hebrew word meant. From a couple of responses from children and adults, she summarized: “It’s a place and is also a name for God …. As you know, when we have a place in the world, we feel [we] belong.” She then added looking and gesturing heavenward, “This [presence] above us we call Makom. When we pray, this is the Makom — God — we pray to. Today in this sanctuary, Amnon and Jill will show us that this is a place for everyone.” That included the nearly 30 Makom constituents, as well as a sizable representation from the Deaf Jewish community.
The program, which was fully sign-interpreted, featured storytelling and explanations from Jill Damti, who joined her partner Amnon for some choreographic pieces. She also explained how her husband “dances in silence.”
“I want to bring all of you into Amnon’s world of silence,” she said. On wooden dance floors, Jill Damti noted that he can feel the bass beat from the recorded music — particularly if speakers are placed on the floor — through his feet and lower legs. The duo also demonstrated how he uses peripheral vision and movement cues that are imperceptible to the audience or choreographed into the piece. She added that rhythm is not a skill exclusive to the hearing: “Rhythm has nothing to do with hearing or deafness.”
The afternoon’s centerpiece work drew on Amnon Damti’s experiences and wrenching narrative of growing up separated from his family in an institutionalized setting. He told the audience through his wife’s sign interpretation, “When I was a boy, I always dreamed of flying like a bird — with freedom.”
“Man in Shadow of Bird” was presented in 1990 at the George H.W. Bush White House, where the duo were the first Israeli dancers invited to perform before a U.S. president. In the work, Amnon Damti showcased his fluid arms and powerful legs along with balletic
turns and jumps in arabesque with one leg lifted behind him. Jill Damti used her arms as undulating wings, her fingers and hands held in quirky, splayed shapes, clawlike. From constrained opening passages, Amnon Damti discovered his voice spreading out into broad, space-engulfing movement as the audience clapped along, finally wiggling their fingers in the air — the deaf sign for applause.
During a Q&A, the question of how the duo met elicited a fully mimed story featuring a character fishing and a glamorous woman applying lipstick, a la Marcel Marceau from Amnon Damti. Jill Damti followed her partner’s physical explanation with her spoken story of their first meeting — a time when she was a water ballet performer and they met at the beach.
The pair also introduced two Israeli songs, teaching the chorus in Israeli sign language so the audience — hearing and deaf — could join the performers in the song “You and I Will Change the World” and on popular Israeli composer Naomi Shemer’s “Lu Yehi,” which translates as “May it be” referring to God’s will. That song was inspired by The Beatles’ well-known hit “Let It Be,” Jill Damti explained.
Elaine Aiello of Gaithersburg, Maryland, who noted that she can hear some music and voices, found the accessibility of the event, including professional sign language interpretation, important for her and her friends. “I wouldn’t have been here if it wasn’t accessible,” she stated. Her longtime friend Janet Weinstock of Glenn Dale, Maryland, added, “I’m very, very deaf, and I really enjoyed the vibe and found the dance visually stimulating.”
David Birnbaum of Chevy Chase, Maryland, described the afternoon dance program as wonderful, noting it was the second time he experienced Jill and Amnon’s work, and he hopes to see the duo again soon.
“In their signing and dancing, I’m seeing their two worlds combined,” Birnbaum said through Iris Schwarz of Gaithersburg, a child of deaf parents, who helped with interpretation during this conversation.
“I see the hearing and deaf working together; we need that with the Israelis and Palestinians right now,” he added. “We don’t need any more negativity now. The world is filled with anger. This was very positive and expressive [of] good feelings.”
Lisa Traiger is Washington Jewish Week’s arts correspondent.
