Camp Nirkoda Ba'Kerem
We anticipating opening registration in late March or early April. In the meantime, read on to find out more about the camp and this year's staff.
Camp Nirkoda Ba'Kerem
An Israeli dance and wine tasting adventure!
September 11-14, 2025
DoubleTree by Hilton, Sacramento, CA
Memories from last year's Nirkoda Ba'Kerem
What is Nirkoda Ba'Kerem?
Set in the relaxed atmosphere of Northern California, Nirkoda Ba'Kerem is all about community. Come join your friends — some you've known for years, and some you've yet to meet — for a fun-filled weekend of nonstop Israeli dancing. We'll enjoy the benefits of California's famous vineyards by incorporating a wine tasting adventure during the camp! Excellent wine and fantastic Israeli Dancing — what could be better?! Don't miss it!
Meet the Staff
Elad Shtamer has a deep history with Israeli dancing, having started dancing at his father's session in Haifa at age 5, and beginning to teach at age 15. He eventually became a markid in his own right, with a famously popular session in Ra'anana. He started choreographing in 2009, and came to prominence with his breakout hit Yesh Ba Mashehu, which one 1st prize at the 2011 Karmiel Festival. His many wonderful dances include Lifnei Kama Dakot, Zikaron Varod, Ilan, Ko'ev Aval Romanti, Bein Ko Vacho, Kimat She'hitragalti, Toy, Et Lirkod, Hazman Oseh Et Shelo, Ten La Et Ha'lev Shelcha, Ha'ish Im Ha'kova, Mamaliga, Ha'or Yizrach, Rav Ha'chovel, and more. He is also a phenomenal musician, performing with the classic Israeli duo Ha'Parvarim for several years. In the last year, he moved to Toronto, Canada, and we are glad to welcome him to North America. At NBK, Elad's boundless energy and enthusiasm are sure to bring an air of infectious excitement!
Michael Barzelai has emerged in the last decade as one of the top choreographers, with some of the most popular dances and many instant classics — Normali, Aneni, Resisim, Be'chayai, Mi Lo Yavo, Lifamim, Jako, Johnny, Shneinu, Ma At Omeret, Smachot, Dixie, Achshav Ani Chozer, La Trompeta, Ha'or Min Heharim, Malabi, Inshalla Ha'shana, Tarante, Ad Ha'midbar and many others. Despite his youth, Michael has a vast repertoire, both new and old, Ashkenazi and Mizrachi, popular and obscure. Beyond his fantastic choreography and dancing, he's just incredibly friendly and boundlessly energetic, and we are so excited that he will be part of our Ba'Kerem community this year!
Her Excellency, Latishya Steele, PhD, returns as our Mistress of the Computer, our Granter of Requests, our Voice Upon the Microphone — in other words, our incomparable DJ and assistant director. She will keep you on your feet all night long — and well into the morning! Latishya started her dancing career in Boston and Chicago, and she is now one of the leaders of the Nirkoda Le'Chayim session in Northern California, where she showcases her incredibly deep repertoire and talent for keeping the party going.
Aaron Alpert is your camp director and host for the weekend. His main job is to ensure that you're having an awesome time! A second-generation dancer, he was dancing before he could walk. He started teaching in 2007 at the UC Berkeley DeCal class, and then started branching out to the other Bay Area dance events. Today, he runs Nirkoda Le'Chayim with Latishya every Thursday in Palo Alto. Let him know if there's anything that can make your camp experience better.
DoubleTree by Hilton, Sacramento
Housing
The DoubleTree is a completely remodeled hotel, with renovations completed in January 2024. The well-appointed, modern rooms feature one king or two queen beds with elegant decor highlighting art from California's capital city. Each room has a mini fridge, TV, balcony, free in-room WiFi, USB and regular power outlets, toiletries, linens. There is a bright and clean bathroom for each room as well.
Dance Hall
We will dance in the Capitol Ballroom, a modern space with air conditioning and heating, good acoustics, and a beautiful patio. More importantly, we will dance on a professional wood floor, complete with sprung features to make it easy on the knees.
Dining
Lunch and dinner will be catered by the DoubleTree, allowing dancers a choice of gourmet meals. Most dietary needs can be accommodated, but please contact us if you have questions, extensive needs, or severe allergies.
Note that breakfast is on-your-own, i.e., it is not included in the price of camp. For breakfast, dancers can eat in the hotel, at the full-service Twigs restaurant or the grab-and-go coffee bar; they can go to the local Arden West mall, Starbucks, or another nearby restaurant; or they can bring their own food (rooms have a mini fridge and coffee maker, and a microwave is available in the lobby).
Amenities
- Pool and hot tub
- Full-service restaurant Twigs, grab-and-go coffee bar, RJ's Happy Hour bar and billiards
- Free in-room WiFi
- In-room mini fridge
- Fitness center
- Parking ($10/day) — Tesla supercharges are available in the hotel parking lot. For other EVs, there are plenty of nearby chargers, which you can locate on Plug Share.
Pricing
| Registration Category | Early bird (by July 11) |
Regular |
|---|---|---|
| Single. One person in a standard hotel room. | $1300 | $1350 |
| Double. Two people in a standard hotel room, either 1 king or 2 queen beds. | $850 | $900 |
| Quad. Four people will share 2 queen beds in a standard hotel room. | $700 | $750 |
| Support crew. Four people will share 2 queen beds in a standard hotel room. | $600 | $650 |
| Student. Four people will share 2 queen beds in a standard hotel room. | $500 | $550 |
To receive the early bird price, you must be paid in full by July 11, 2025.
The prices listed above are for check, cash, and Zelle payments. If you choose to pay by credit card, a 3% processing fee is added.
For those considering the Quad option (including support crew and students), be aware that rooms have two queen beds, so two people will share each bed. We highly recommend you pre-arrange a group of four friends.
For those with limited financial means, we are offering the discounted Support Crew and Student registration. In exchange for this discount, support crewmembers and students will provide several hours of support throughout the weekend, mostly with set-up and clean-up tasks. There are a very limited number of these spots available, and we ask for your understanding and empathy in leaving them available for those who truly need it. Support crew is open to anyone, while student pricing is limited to full-time enrolled students up to age 25.
In order to foster the growth of a cohesive, unified, consistent community for the weekend, we do not offer partial registration (e.g., two-nights only, just the evening parties, no hotel room).
Scholarships
If you need more assistance beyond the Support Crew or Student discount, we do have some Scholarships available. They are available on a first come, first served basis. Ask Aaron for details. Exact amounts will depend on financial need and dancer age (we want to support our youngest dancers).
If you want to help young people come to camp by donating money or other items (such as airline miles), you can do so on your registration form, or let us know by email.
What Is (and Isn't) Included?
Food
Two lunches, three dinners, and snacks are included. Breakfast is on-your-own, i.e., it is not included (but there is a full-service restaurant and coffee bar in the hotel). Meals are kosher-style, meaning no pork or shellfish, and chicken and beef entrees will not contain dairy. The DoubleTree can accommodate most dietary requirements (vegetarian, vegan, lactose-free, nut-free, gluten-free), which you can indicate on the registration form. Please contact us if you have complex dietary needs or severe allergies.
Camp Events
Access to all Israeli dance and other camp activities (games, Shabbat services, etc.) is included.
Accommodations
Three nights lodging with the standard hotel features, such as linens and soap / shampoo.
Parking
Self-parking is available for $10 per day.
Wine Tasting
Our signature wine tasting experience is included with the price of admission. Camp Nirkoda Ba'Kerem's expert sommelier has chosen several excellent vintages for you to sample as our sommeliers help you to identify the subtle flavors of each wine. For those participants who do not drink, we will have a simultaneous fancy non-alcoholic beverage tasting. All dancers have the opportunity to evaluate their favorites and to enjoy the harmonious pairings.
Camp T-shirt
This year, we have both shirts and hoodies available for purchase! Bonfire offers a variety of styles and colors, uses premium materials from high-quality brands, and ships directly to your home on demand (no more waiting for "batch orders"). Because shirts and hoodies print slightly differently, there are two different links — to avoid paying double for shipping, make sure to use both links and put all the items you want in a single cart and checkout once.
You can also get previous year's designs:
- 2024, cat & dog dancing together
- 2023, quick start guide with steps
- 2022, Dr. Seuss-inspired design
- 2021, don't stop, push play
Pre-camp session
We are not planning to hold a pre-camp session / pre-party this year. If you arrive in the Bay Area on Wednesday, consider attending Cafe Simcha near Berkeley.
Schedule of Events
The full, detailed schedule will be released as we get closer to camp. If you want a general idea of what the schedule is like, take a look at the general outline below, or check out last year's schedule.
| Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morning | Learn new dances | Learn new dances Review | Goodbye! Checkout by 11:00 | |
| Afternoon | Welcome session (3-4:30) Hotel check in | Specialty sessions (e.g., horas, partners, cardio,...) | Specialty sessions (e.g., oldies, debkas, international,...) | |
| Evening | Theme party First dance party (until ~2 AM) | Shabbat Second dance party (until ~4 AM) | Wine tasting Havdallah Third dance party (until ???) |
Note that we are aiming to learn approximately 8-10 dances over the course of the weekend. We have posted the list of dances taught at previous camps, as well as previous playlists.
Getting There
Driving: The DoubleTree Sacramento is about 100 miles east of SFO airport, and will take about 2 hours without traffic. We encourage you to carpool, and we will set-up a message board for you to self-arrange rides. Tesla supercharges are available in the hotel parking lot. For other EVs, there are plenty nearby; check Plug Share.
Flying: There are several options,
- Sacramento International Airport (SMF) is the best choice for most dancers. It is an easy 13 mile (20 minute) drive from the hotel. Taxis cost about $40 each way, while ridesharing services like Uber or Lyft are around $30 each way.
- Public transportation to the hotel is possible but not recommended. SacRT and Yolobus operate shuttle buses to/from the airport, but these shuttles drop off passengers in the downtown area, which is 5 miles (10 minutes) away. From there, you can take Uber/Lyft, or take a combination of buses, the light rail blue line, and walking, to get to the hotel. Google Maps can illustrate these options.
- San Francisco (SFO) is the largest airport in the region with the most flights. The hotel is a 2 hour drive away. While there are some public transportation options, they are likely to be complicated, time-intensive, with multiple connections, so you will most likely need to rent a car or carpool with a friend.
- Oakland (OAK) is a medium-sized airport. It's about 1.5 hours from Sacramento, and like SFO, will most likely require renting a car or carpooling.
Address: 2001 Point W Way, Sacramento, CA 95815 (map).
Policies
All participants must sign a waiver of liability. To confirm your reservation, a deposit of $100/person is needed within 2 weeks of registering. To receive the Early Bird price, full payment is due by July 11, 2025. Full payment for all participants is due by August 11, 2024, and failure to pay the full amount by that date will result in the loss of your reservation as well as forfeiture of all deposit payments. Requests for cancellation must be made in writing no later than August 11, 2025, and are subject to a $100/person cancellation fee. After August 11, 2025, no refunds will be made for any reason, including a change in the COVID-19 regulations. Registrations are non-transferable.
Exceptions for COVID-19: If you test positive for COVID-19 in the 5 days before camp, stay home. In this case, you will receive a full refund regardless of the dates in the previous paragraph, provided you provide sufficient documentation.
Check, Zelle, or cash payments are preferred. Credit card is accepted with a 3% processing fee. Instructions for each payment method are provided upon submission of the registration form.
No pets or other animals may be brought to camp (except service animals).
COVID-19 Safety
At this time, we do not expect there to be any COVID-related requirements. However, if the situation changes, dancers will be required to comply with any federal, state, or local regulations, the DoubleTree Sacramento's policies, or the policies set by the NBK Director. Dancers who cancel because they do not agree to updated COVID-19 rules are not eligible for a refund.
If you catch COVID, please stay home. In this case, the participant is entitled to a full refund, provided s/he provides proof of a positive result from a test taken 5 days or less before camp.
Questions?
Email registration@nirkoda.com.