Gabrielle Orcha

Gabrielle Orcha
Gabrielle Orcha is a freelance writer, choreographer, and performer. Artistic Director of her Boston-based company, Orcha Dance Theatre, she is an exuberant and spirited woman and spends much of her time in the studio creating and collaborating or in the air, leaping for joy (see picture). She is fond of fiddlers, good prose, and good people (see mensches). A fervent believer in the concept of beshert—which means fate, destiny, or one’s soul mate—she aptly named the new and exciting arm of her company, which performs at weddings and bar mitzvahs, The Beshert Brigade of Dancing Celebrants (see brazen plug). Also: she identifies with the word “chutzpadik,” loves how it just rolls off the tongue.

Blog Posts

Gabrielle Orcha

I've Come a Long Way, Baby

Gabrielle Orcha

If you’ve followed this blog over the last nine months (the time it takes for new life to come to term), you may have been privy to my special journey here at JWA.

Hillary Clinton, 2008

Our Changing Perception of Hillary (Rodham) Clinton

Gabrielle Orcha

It’s Presidents’ Day. And I find myself thinking about her, the woman who came closest to presiding over our nation, taking up temporary residence (for the third time) at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. I am fascinated by our nation’s changing perceptions—and altered reception—of Hillary Clinton.

Screenshot of Rachel Sklar's Twitter Account

No Time Out for This Troublemaker

Gabrielle Orcha

JWA doesn’t just live online. Occasionally, we do things in real time, with real, flesh and blood people. Just a little less than a month from today, we will hold our Annual Awards Luncheon where we will honor three women, whom we fondly refer to as “troublemakers”: Rachel Sklar, Rachel Cohen Gerrol, and Bel Kaufman.

Apple and Orange Image

February 1st Link Roundup

Gabrielle Orcha

Join a Rising. Start a Rising. One Billion Rising is Building Momentum.

One Hundred Dollar Bill

Wage and Worth

Gabrielle Orcha

Equal pay for equal work—an all-too familiar demand. Last week the Forward published its annual survey of salaries in Jewish organizations, and yesterday the New York Times published a piece by Jessica Bennett calling on women to ramp up their negotiating skills.

Red Flower

In Celebration of Our Bodies...and Our Unique Wiring

Gabrielle Orcha

In case you haven’t heard, Naomi Wolf just came out with a new book, Vagina: A New Biography, and it just might change your life.

Thanksgiving Meal

We're Grateful For... Having Come A Long Way, Baby

Gabrielle Orcha

As we approach this year's Thanksgiving, I asked some of the JWA staff members how far they've come—personally or politically, culturally or collectively—and how that's inspired a sense of gratitude. Here is a sampling from Etta King, Michelle Cash, Stephen Benson, and Ellen Rothman.

Obama's Third Eye by Alex Grey

Obama's Jewish Neshama

Gabrielle Orcha

I was struck by the Jewish spirit (neshama) and the Jewish ethos that wound its way through the words of Obama’s acceptance speech last night. The emphasis on cooperation, on tenacity in the face of adversity, on individual responsibility and personal action, while underscoring the interconnectedness of the nation all rang clearly with Jewish ideals. Perhaps what I found most satisfying was Obama's return to hope. Hope.

American Flag

Political Jewess: Oldies but Goodies

Gabrielle Orcha

We are at T minus four days to the election, and one of our favorite past times at JWA is looking to the past to inform the future...

So on that note, I ask:

Mary Antin

Mary Antin's Promised Land

Gabrielle Orcha

Boston, MA-- Last night the New Center for Arts and Culture presented an evening of music and storytelling drawn from the history of Boston’s early Jewish community.

Topics: Memoirs

How to cite this page

Jewish Women's Archive. " Gabrielle Orcha ." (Viewed on September 24, 2023) <https://jwa.org/blog/author/gabrielle-orcha>.