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Before Reb Itche Mates and Rechele's wedding, we have this scene, after the description of the "jester" for the wedding:

The girls nudged one another and giggled. They performed first the Mad Dance and then the Scissors Dance and the Water Dance, lifting their dresses as though to cross a puddle. Like strangers they averted their eyes. It was some time before they agreed to accept the pieces of honey cake which were their due; they tasted only a single berry of the jam set before them.
Satan in Goray, part 2, chapter 1: "The Wedding" (translated by Jacob Sloan)

The "Mad Dance" looks to me to be commentary on Rechele's fragile sanity; she's known to be not the most stable person in town. Is there any significance to the other dances that the girls perform? (Or another interpretation of the Mad Dance?)

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  • Aside from any specific literary intent, these are known dances that help build setting, although they might be slightly anachronistic in the 17th century of the novel: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sher_(dance)
    – Mike
    Feb 23, 2022 at 17:31

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