Levi-Tanai, Sara

(1910 or 1911-2005)

   Choreographer and founder of the Inbal Dance Company. Born in Jerusalem to Yemenite immigrants (see ALIYA), she was orphaned as a child and ended up at the Meir Shefaya Youth Village, where she was introduced to the arts. In 1924, Levi-Tanai was awarded a scholarship to the Levinsky Teachers' College. As a kindergarten teacher, she began to write children's songs and invent rhythmic games. She was drawn to the theater but was rejected because of her strong Yemenite accent. In 1940, she moved to Kibbutz Ramat HaKovesh where, aside from continuing her work as a kindergarten teacher, she organized holiday ceremonies. Operation Magic Carpet, which brought masses of Yemenite Jewish immigrants to Israel in the early days of statehood, led Levi-Tanai to focus on aspects of Yemenite culture, especially dance. Although she had no professional training as a dancer, in September 1949, she assembled a group of Yemenite boys and girls to teach them to dance. This group ultimately evolved into the world-famous Inbal Dance Company, in which Levi-Tanai sought, through dance, to synthesize the experiences of Ashkenazi Jewry and of modern Israel with the ancient cultures, traditions, and experiences of Sephardic Jews (see ORIENTAL JEWS).