Davidic comes from King David who danced before the Lord; and the dancing around his Tabernacle. Levitical refers to the dancing of the priests in Israel as part of Temple worship, and they danced before the Ark of the Covenant before going into battles. During Sabbath services at the Western Wall in Jerusalem everyone dances: men, women, soldiers, and those of the nations who join them.
These dance terms and steps are international. Any Messianic congregation that worships with dancing, you can usually join a circle. Messianic means ‘of the Messiah.’ If you are a gentile who believes in Yeshua, you are grafted into the Messianic Jewish family and can enjoy the blessings of millennia of Biblical history.
The steps below are in alphabetical order, not order of difficulty. One star indicates easier steps that are used more often; more stars become more difficult.
R= Right, L=Left, F= Forward, B=Backward, H=Hop, Pt=Point, x=Times, RF=Right Foot, LF=Left Foot, CW= Clockwise, CCW=Counterclockwise
*Balance: (2 counts)
Lean or rock R, Lean or rock L
Box: (8 counts or 4 counts without hops)
Facing center, step forward on RF & Hop, cross LF over RF & Hop, Step backward on RF & Hop, Step to Left on LF & Hop
***Backwards Hopping Mayim: (8 counts)
Face CW – Travel CCW;
RF step Back & Hop, Face out & Hop on LF, RF crosses over LF & Hop, Pivot in over R shoulder & Hop on LF to Face Center; Chasse (3 counts) Step Forward R-L-R, Back Chasse (3 counts) Step Backward L-R-L
*Cherkessia (R) (4 counts)
Rock Forward on RF (Picking up LF), Rock backward on LF (Picking up RF), Rock further back on RF (Picking up LF), Rock forward on LF.
*Cherk or Coupé (R) (2 counts)
Rock forward on RF (Picking up LF) Rock back on LF and place RF next to LF.
*Cherk or Coupe (L) (2 counts)
Rock forward on LF (Picking up RF) Rock back on RF and place LF next to RF.
**Double Cherk: (6 counts)
R Cherk to Left, L Cherk to Right.
***Debka: (2 counts)
Both feet together jump in place to the Right, then to the Left.
*Kibbutz (R) (4 counts)
RF steps Right, LF crosses behind RF, RF steps Right, place LF heel down & toes up (Or Hop on RF & kick LF up). Repeat to Left.
*Kibbutz (Half) (2 counts to R, 2 counts to L)
Step on RF, place LF heel down & toes up, Step on LF, place RF heel down and toes up.
*Cross Mayim: (4 counts)
RF crosses over LF, LF steps Left, RF crosses behind LF, LF steps Left again.
*Open Mayim (5 counts)
LF steps Left, RF crosses over LF, LF steps Left, RF crosses behind LF, LF steps Left.
*Grapevine
Mayim with any number of counts.
***Hopping Mayim (R) (8 counts)
Facing CCW Hop RF, Hop L & Pivot 180 degrees over Left shoulder, CCW Hop RF backward, Hop LF Backward.
*Moshav (R) (2 counts)
RF steps Right, LF slides to the Right and Kicks R heel.
**Polka (R) (3 counts)
RF steps Right, LF steps next to RF, Pick up RF and step down in place.
**Polka (L) (3 counts)
LF steps Left, RF steps next to LF, pick up LF and step down in place.
**Schlep Step or Step together Step (R) (2 counts)
RF steps Right, LF crosses behind RF (Can Repeat)
(Schlep step variation is the same as: Step together Step)
*Step together Step (R) (4 counts)
RF steps forward, LF steps forward next to RF, RF steps forward again, LF steps next to RF with toes only touching floor and pause.
(Can be repeated starting with LF)
*2 pt turn Right (2 counts)
RF steps Right, Turn over Right shoulder onto LF
*3 pt turn Right (3 counts)
RF steps Right, Turn over Right shoulder onto LF, continue turning and step on RF.
*4 pt turn Right (4 counts)
RF steps Right, Turn over Right shoulder onto LF, continue turning and step on RF, then lean Left to LF
**7-Up Mayim (R) (8 counts)
Mayim 2x to Right & Hop on 7th count Repeat to Left.
*3-Up Mayim (R) (8 counts)
Mayim 2x to Right and Hop on 3rd count.
**Yemenite (R) (3 or 4 counts)
RF steps Right, LF step backward, RF crosses over LF (Pause or hop to make 4 counts.)
**Yemenite (L) (3 or 4 counts)
LF steps Left, RF steps Backward, LF crosses over RF (Pause or hop to make 4 counts)
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