GISELLE PRINCZ
2017 Festival Honoree of the Year
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It is our great privilege to announce our 2017 Festival Honoree of the Year – Giselle Princz.
Giselle discovered Israeli dance through her Young Judea youth group, in Highland Park, New Jersey. The group put on small performances for nursing homes and Hadassah groups and even danced/marched in the NY Israel Independence Day parade. After college, Giselle spent a year in Israel where she particularly loved the weekly Israeli dance instruction that her program offered. Upon returning to the United States, Giselle continued to dance every week.
After moving to Boston, Giselle attended the MIT Israeli Dance Club’s Wednesday night sessions. She was overwhelmed by both the unfamiliar dances and the more than 200 people who attended regularly. Determined to catch up, Giselle added dancing at Congregation Kehillath Israel in Brookline to her schedule. Having mastered the repertoire, Giselle became a regular programmer at MIT from the mid-1980’s through the 1990’s. She became responsible for planning the club’s summer folkdance beach parties. According to Seth Stollman, who has known and danced with Giselle since their days in Highland Park, “Giselle is an avid and passionate Israeli dancer. She loves to dance and it shows!” Giselle broadened her Israeli dance horizons by attending dance camps. She has particular fondness for the one in Montreal because it was there that she met her husband, David Wald. Giselle loves to travel and tries to dance wherever she goes. She has danced in Melbourne, Paris, and London.
Giselle discovered Israeli dance through her Young Judea youth group, in Highland Park, New Jersey. The group put on small performances for nursing homes and Hadassah groups and even danced/marched in the NY Israel Independence Day parade. After college, Giselle spent a year in Israel where she particularly loved the weekly Israeli dance instruction that her program offered. Upon returning to the United States, Giselle continued to dance every week.
After moving to Boston, Giselle attended the MIT Israeli Dance Club’s Wednesday night sessions. She was overwhelmed by both the unfamiliar dances and the more than 200 people who attended regularly. Determined to catch up, Giselle added dancing at Congregation Kehillath Israel in Brookline to her schedule. Having mastered the repertoire, Giselle became a regular programmer at MIT from the mid-1980’s through the 1990’s. She became responsible for planning the club’s summer folkdance beach parties. According to Seth Stollman, who has known and danced with Giselle since their days in Highland Park, “Giselle is an avid and passionate Israeli dancer. She loves to dance and it shows!” Giselle broadened her Israeli dance horizons by attending dance camps. She has particular fondness for the one in Montreal because it was there that she met her husband, David Wald. Giselle loves to travel and tries to dance wherever she goes. She has danced in Melbourne, Paris, and London.
In 1984, Giselle joined the Israel Folkdance Festival of Boston organizing committee. Seth adds, "Giselle is always eager to help out and fill in, no challenge is too great for her." Giselle served on the committee for 17 years. When she first joined the committee, there were no children's groups in the Festival from the Boston area. Giselle believes in teaching children Israeli dance at an early age so that they develop a love for dance and Israel that will last a lifetime, and she was concerned about the dearth of young people in the Festival. Look at how many children’s groups now participate!
Giselle has danced in over 20 Festivals, primarily with Ruach Aviv. 2012 Israel Folkdance Festival of Boston Honoree and director of Ruach Aviv, Leslie Siegel, says, "When I think about Israeli dancing in Boston, Giselle is one of the first people to come to mind. Her style is clean and beautiful. When I first started dancing here I would follow Giselle as she danced her way through a session (in fact, I still do!). When Ruach Aviv was first coming together, Giselle was among the founding members. She helped to pull a group of friends who enjoyed dancing together into something creative and fun. Throughout all the years we’ve been dancing together I have always been able to count on Giselle to smile and remember the steps. In fact, we all depended on her so much that once, when she forgot some steps on stage, the whole group followed her made-up steps, as we were all watching her (me included – and I choreographed the thing!). Giselle truly understands the concept of 'smile bigger!'"
Giselle has danced in over 20 Festivals, primarily with Ruach Aviv. 2012 Israel Folkdance Festival of Boston Honoree and director of Ruach Aviv, Leslie Siegel, says, "When I think about Israeli dancing in Boston, Giselle is one of the first people to come to mind. Her style is clean and beautiful. When I first started dancing here I would follow Giselle as she danced her way through a session (in fact, I still do!). When Ruach Aviv was first coming together, Giselle was among the founding members. She helped to pull a group of friends who enjoyed dancing together into something creative and fun. Throughout all the years we’ve been dancing together I have always been able to count on Giselle to smile and remember the steps. In fact, we all depended on her so much that once, when she forgot some steps on stage, the whole group followed her made-up steps, as we were all watching her (me included – and I choreographed the thing!). Giselle truly understands the concept of 'smile bigger!'"
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Giselle continues to use that friendly and welcoming smile to get others involved in Israeli dancing. According to Beth McCarthy, “I enjoyed dancing with Giselle in Ruach Aviv and I am now trying Shiluv this year because she got me involved.” Last year, Giselle danced for the first time with her ten-year-old twins. Giselle is hoping her children will follow in her footsteps and develop a love of Israeli dance. Even though Giselle is no longer on the Festival committee, she has continued to promote the Festival through word of mouth, emails, putting up posters, and handing out brochures. Joan Starreveld, who danced with Giselle during the first few years of Ruach Aviv in the early 1990’s, says, “It was such a pleasure sharing Giselle’s love for dancing, energy, and enthusiasm with the dance community.” Giselle has even continued to help out behind the scenes sending out thank you’s for Festival honoree donations! The Festival has and will always be a very important part of her life! And in turn, as former Festival committee member Joan Hantman says, “Giselle has been an integral member of the Boston Israeli Folk Dance community!”
Thank you for honoring Giselle and supporting the Israel Folkdance Festival of Boston with your thoughtful contribution.