An alluringly beautiful film. It has already been running for 37 weeks straight at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque – moving to tears. And at the end of the screening some of the participants get up on stage and start dancing.

For the entire article by Aviva Lori, Haaretz, check:

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1152045.html

A Romantic Dance

How did the documentary “Ida’s Dance Club” become a cult film that draws in senior citizens as well as curious youngsters?

In local terms, this is a real phenomenon. Every Saturday morning, while most of us are still sleeping, a group of enthusiastic seniors gathers to watch a documentary film that describes the preparations for the yearly dance competition at Ida’s Dance Club. All of the competitors have already passed retirement age, but that does not stop them from enjoying the spirit of youth. Filmmaker Dalit Kimor entered their world as a welcomed guest and has succeeded in conveying their sense of mischief, as well as their distress.

…in addition to Ida, the master of ceremonies who is a talented choreographer and singer, the real heroes of the story are the dancers themselves. The dance competition gives them a chance to show off their dance skills as well demonstrating a joy for life which does not always come easily at their age.

But the greatness of the film is that Kimor does not resort to cheap emotional manipulation. During the entire film she guards her characters’ dignity even as she focuses on some of their personal problems; problems ranging from the betrayal of the body to the burden of memories that this generation carries. Almost all of the characters in the movie are either Holocaust survivors, or people who have experienced the pain of exile.

Another wonderful quality of the film is the use of humor – which mainly comes from the characters themselves who use wit along side dancing as a coping mechanism. Kimor’s gentle editing style manages to preserve these tender moments.

One such moment is when the charming Benny arrives at the dance club. The women in the room immediately take note of his South African accent and impeccable dress and all want him as their dance partner…

Julia is the real star of the film and it is no mistake that she is the one at the center of another scene which leaves the audience roaring with laughter. This is a scene where members of the dance club come to visit her in the hospital where she is staying because of leg injuries. This should be a very sad moment, but this is actually where we see Julia in all her glory. She has fashioned a new get-up out of hospital pajamas and wearing high-heels as she dances to the delight of the hospital staff and we in the audience.

Out of the mosaic of characters in the film, Julia is the most poignant. Along side her zest for life, we also see the challenges she faces. She hardly speaks Hebrew and lives modestly without any family.

Kimor wisely travels between laughter and tears and treats her characters with respect – thus gaining their trust. For example, the scene where Pinchas and his partner are interviewed for a TV show and they give short to-the-point answers. But as soon as the crew leaves, they open up to Kimor and her camera and he talks about his memories as a child in the Holocaust.

“Ida’s Dance Club” was first screened as part of DocAviv last spring. After the showing the director of the Tel Aviv Cinematheuque suggested to Kimor that they turn her film into a cult movie for seniors along side another documentary “The Worst Company in the World”. They decided that 11:30am was a suitable time for this crowd and it has been showing ever since. Initially characters from the film would show up too – which helped spread the word about the film. Now-a-days they take turns attending screenings. At a recent screening Julia appeared after the film with a dance –“Just like in The Purple Rose of Cairo” Kimor said of the performance.

The combination of happiness and laughter, lots of music and dancing along with depth and smart movie-making have made the film enjoyable for audiences of any age. Next time you are wondering what to do on a Saturday morning, it is a good idea to go over to the Cinematheque and enjoy a group of seniors who have decided to survive with dignity – and “bring your parents too” says the director Dalit Kimor.

Yoad Earon/Walla! com, November, 2009
http://e.walla.co.il/?w=/6/1603232

The National Lottery Prize for Art & Culture for the film that was best distributed to the periphery was awarded to IDA'S CLUB directed by Dalit Kimor and produced by Yael Shavit.

The film was granted the prize for its warmth and humor. The prize committee is confident that audiences will fall in love with the film's unique characters. Furthermore, Dalit Kimor's film

instills a sense of faith in human beings and inspiration in the power of individuals to live with dignity at any age or under any circumstances.

Recommended

One Generation Dances, Another Generation Comes Along  With hardly any publicity, “Ida’s Dance Club,” a documentary film about a ballroom dance competition for the elderly has turned into a hit among old-timers and youngsters alike at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque. Shmulik Duvdevani watched it and  loved it.

Quietly, without any publicity or P.R., the best party in town takes place every Saturday morning. The place: The Tel Aviv Cinematheque. “Ida’s Dance Club,” the documentary film by director Dalit Kimor and producer Yael Shavit, has been screened there for a few weeks now and has turned into the Rocky Horror Picture Show of the older generation.

The youngest old-timers in Israel come to the club in southern Tel Aviv, break up into couples, and take part in an annual ballroom dance competition. Kimor’s camera almost never leaves the club, which is run by the colorful matron mentioned in the film’s title, and documents the liveliness and excitement that turn the few hours they spend there into a truly magical experience.

 “Ida’s Dance Club” – The Rocky Horror Picture Show of the Older Generation

It’s not that “Ida’s Dance Club” ignores what happens to its characters outside of their fantasy in which they turn into princes and princesses for a few hours at a time. On one hand we have a woman dealing with her anorexic daughter, and on the other hand a man who’s hiding a hair-raising story about an encounter with Mengele when he was a boy during the Holocaust. But all these things are forgotten when the group hits the dance floor.

And what touching moments Kimor captures with her camera! Two English-speaking sisters whose collective age is almost 180 sing the song “Sisterly Love” which they wrote as little girls; a suave  man, the idol of a few of the club’s female denizens, reveals the truth about his sexual identity to the camera, and that’s just the beginning

Ida. A Magical Experience Untroubled by the Outside World

On the surface, the idea of a film about old folks dancing seems predictable and formulaic - just another movie about the last happy moments in life. So more than anything else, this film is surprising. Kimor  treats her characters, their stories and their fantasy world with such commendable respect and delicacy. The tears in the corners of the eye are tears of joy.

What happens in the Tel Aviv Cinematheque’s small hall is also an inseparable part of the celebration on the silver screen. Dozens of people young and old pack the place – rumors about the movie have spread by word of mouth. The dancers themselves, led by Ida, come to the hall every week in one in one combination or another, and the director

introduces them at the end of the screening. This may not sound like anything to write home about, but at that moment I felt like taking one of them by the hand and breaking into a little dance in celebration of life itself.

Shmulik Duvdevani / YNET, July, 2009