Mayim

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Mayim (Hebrew: "water"), or Mayim-Mayim, is a traditional Israeli dance. This is a dance by the Israelis in praise for the water which sustained them physically and spiritually. It was choreographed by Else Dublon in 1937, to a song by Emanuel Amiran.

[edit] The Dance

The dance is done by a circle of dancers, facing the center through most of the dance, and holding hands except when clapping.

Count	Step
Part 1
1-4	Step R foot across in front of L foot, step on L foot to L, step on R foot behind L foot, step on L foot to L (turning a bit as you go, so that the R foot goes more forward and backward, rather than directly crossing)
5-16	Repeat counts 1-4 three more times
Part 2
1-4	Run four steps forward, R L R L. Begin leaning forward with arms down on 1, then straighten up and raise arms during 2-4.
5-8	Take four steps backwards, R L R L, bringing arms back down again. (A variation, more recent than the first version given here, is to clap on count 5 before beginning to bring the arms down, while in an earlier version the arms are brought down on 5.)
9-16	Repeat counts 1-8
Part 3
1-3	Facing left, run three steps forward around the circle, R L R
4	Face center while hopping on R and touching L foot slightly to the side. (In another variation, a fourth step is added here, onto the L foot, and the rest of this part is done with opposite footwork.)
5-6	Facing center, hop on R foot while touching L toe in front, hop on R foot while touching L to side, near R foot and slightly to the back.
7-12	Repeat counts 5-6 three more times, and on 12 transfer some weight onto L foot.
13-20	Repeat counts 5-12 with opposite footwork and clapping hands each time you touch R in front, finishing with R foot free to start Part 1 again. (In yet another variation, some people turn while doing counts 13-20).