Dancing in Jaffa
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Dancing in Jaffa
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Dancing in Jaffa is a documentary about a ballroom dance teacher returning to his home in Israel to teach Palestinian and Jewish kids to dance together. There are some heavy themes: a girl whose father died when she was in first grade, casual discussions of relations between Arabs and Jews, wartime politics, protests, religious intolerance, and relatives who've met untimely deaths in the conflict in the region. Overall it's an incredibly open-minded, uplifting look at the difficulty of forging tolerance among even young children with an added emphasis on the value of dance, but young kids may not understand the politics.
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What's the Story?
In DANCING IN JAFFA, world championship ballroom dancer Pierre Dulain returns to Jaffa, Israel, to teach kids a love for ballroom dancing, only there's a catch: He wants Palestinian and Jewish kids to dance together. Teaching elementary schoolers to respect the discipline of dance and form is one thing, but can he teach them to respect children from the other side when they've already been taught to despise them?
Is It Any Good?
This documentary works on multiple levels, promoting art as a source of self-confidence, while also teaching about religious tolerance, self-respect, and respect for others. For kids, there are some heavy themes here, such as the loss of a parent, military-style protests, and the constant threat of death in a war-torn region. But the lessons in Dancing in Jaffa are big ones: Children can be taught tolerance and may someday be the key to changing the fate of the region. Interestingly, the real power of Dulaine's message seems to be in reaching individual children in the film who lack confidence or an outlet and turning them on to an art form they'd never have been exposed to otherwise. That it also comes with humanizing children on "the other side" for them and fostering a new perspective on their differences is an incredible bonus.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what religious tolerance means. Do you know kids who practice other religions? What does it mean to tolerate them? How do the dancers in Dancing in Jaffa tolerate each other?
How did the kids handle being forced to interact with children from other religious backgrounds?
What did ballroom dancing teach the kids in the classroom? Do you think it will help them later in life? Why, or why not?
How does Dancing in Jaffa promote compassion, courage, and empathy? Why are these important character strengths?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: August 12, 2014
- Cast: Pierre Dulaine
- Director: Hilla Medalia
- Studio: MPI Home Video
- Genre: Documentary
- Topics: Adventures, Friendship, History, Music and Sing-Along
- Character Strengths: Compassion, Courage, Empathy
- Run time: 90 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: April 1, 2022
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