Thousands of Hasidic Jews dressed in black watch as an Ultra Orthodox Jewish rabbi dances with the bride during the Mitzva Tantz ritual
The Mitzva Tantz is a dance customarily performed at chasidic Jewish weddings. Throughout the wedding, dancing between men and women is completely separate. Men and women dance on either side of a large opaque divider, called a mechitza, separating two dance floors. At some point during the wedding, the bride and sometimes a few close female relatives, venture over to the men’s section. At that time the rebbe, father, or grandfather will dance with the bride.
On the bride’s end, this “dancing” involves standing still (with the occasional stiff shuckel or pivot to allow for the man’s movement) and holding one end of a long gartel, while the man she is dancing with holds the other end and shakes his “groove thing.”
To those in the chasidic community, the Mitzva Tantz is a spiritual and emotional highlight of the evening. To those uninitiated to the custom, it seems quite awkward. A young bride, no doubt unaccustomed to being around male non-relatives, must stand alone among a sea of men clapping and gawking at her. While the cheers are presumably for the man dancing with her, since she isn’t showing off her moves, it must still be a blush-inspiring experience. Whenever I see a photo or video snippet of a Mitzva Tantz at a large wedding, I cringe inside for the girl.
At the same time, I wonder if there has ever been a spunky bride who took advantage of her moment in the spotlight by breaking into a dance of her own? What would the men do if they suddenly found themselves tethered by their gartel to a “Malky Cyrus?”
