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The Joy of Jewish Music and Dance
With Polina Shepherd and Bruce Bierman
NEW LOCATION: Congregation Netivot Shalom, 1316 University Avenue, Berkeley, CA
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Join the October-May monthly series celebrating The Joy of Jewish Music and Dance! Great for musicians, dancers, and enthusiasts to meet, learn, play, shmooze, or simply to take in the beauty of these rich traditions. Bring your instruments and dancing shoes.
For the April 12, 2026 session, music will be taught by Polina Shepherd and dance will be taught by Bruce Bierman. Read more about our instructors below.
Session format: During the first 90 minutes, participants choose between instruction in music or dance corresponding to the music. Then after a short break, musicians and dancers are brought together to perform what they’ve learned. Extra time after that continues the dance party or shifts into informal jam or instruction.
Basic instrumental proficiency is recommended for musicians. All instruments, singers, and dancers are welcome.
Tickets are $25 – $54 sliding scale. Online ticket sales will end on Friday, April 10 at noon. If not sold out, tickets may be purchased at the door.
Kids 18 and under can attend free.
No one turned away for lack of funds. Arrange volunteer/trade or reduced price entry in advance, or with the person at the door.
Additional donations are welcome to help sustain, grow, and cover the cost of this series. Additional donations would help cover travel costs of out of town instructors and many costs that are currently offset by donations.
The series is made possible by volunteer time and expertise of organizers Mike Perlmutter, Zina Pozen, and Bruce Bierman, as well as the financial support of Noah Youngs, Amos Lans, and other generous individuals, fiscal sponsorship and support by KlezCalifornia. We are grateful to our past host Sarah Wolfman-Robichaud and the JCC East Bay, and to our new hosts at Congregation Netivot Shalom.
Direct questions about the series to: JOY@KlezCalifornia.org
Instructor Bios
Polina Shepherd is a composer, performer, educator and cultural activist originally from Siberia, now living in Brighton, United Kingdom.
Polina is a powerhouse pianist vocalist with a deep repertoire and a four-octave singing range. She leads choirs, collaborates with bands, orchestras, soloists, ensembles and performs internationally. Her compositions, including music for choirs, theatre, song settings for Yiddish poems are performed all over the world.
She grew up with singing at family gatherings where she accompanied her grandfather, a WWII veteran and her whole Cossack / Jewish family from the age of 7. Since moving to the UK in 2003 has been performing, teaching, composing and touring with various projects internationally.
Her singing, though based on traditional forms, cuts a sound deeply rooted in east European Jewish and Russian folklore. Growing up in Tatarstan also placed her close to Islamic ornamentation and timbre, which can be heard in her unique vocal style.
Whilst living in Kazan (capital of Tatarstan, Central Russia) and studying at the State Academy, Polina joined Russia′s first klezmer band after Perestroika, Simcha (1990-2000). She soon became the principal Yiddish choir leader of the former Soviet Union, composing original material for large groups of voices and touring internationally with her Quartet Ashkenazim (1991-2007). Check her website for more extensive listings of her subsequent accomplishments and accolades, and catch her in this rare Berkeley teaching stop!
Series Dates