Romani

ReOrient present Ghawazee dance at the Duncan Showroom, 2019

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The dance in these videos is an interpretation of an historical style of dance and costume common in Egypt in the late 1800’s and into the 20th Century. Our choreography is based on historic photos and travellers’ writings about the Ghawazee, and our studies with Aisha Ali, Banat Mazin troupe members, and others.  The Ghawazee continue to perform today, though with different costumes! Many Ghawazee, and in particular those we studied for this piece, are members of Domari and Nawar tribes – that is, Middle Eastern branches related to the “Romani” (peoples who have asked to no longer be called “Gypsies”).  Ghawazee has been translated as “Invaders of the Heart” – but the word has some negative connotations, as it represents Egyptian women who dance to entertain. 

We are members of the B.C. dance collective “Re-Orient”, and we hope our performance, and these videos, will broaden your perspectives on Arab and Turkish arts and societies.  Videos are by Eric Boucher. 

Earthfire dance company

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Funkadelic Turkish Lounge 2014

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Another amazing Turkish Lounge at The Abbey in  Cumberland!  Saturday Oct. 25, 7:30 pm  This time there will be just a few performances (including me, Edith Jacob and our host Cathy Stoyko), plus lots of music and dancing for everyone, with a funkadelic dance set by DJ StIzmir Smyrna and live music jamming to wrap up the night. Bring an instrument, and note that colourful lounge wear is encouraged!

Turkish Lounge

Dance Vallarta 2013

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Five days of dance and sun in the Yoga Vallarta studio of Puerto Vallarta, February 5 – 9 2013. Thanks to my co-instructor Debra Shields of Saidi Sisters, the beautiful dancers who attended, Alma our studio host, and the restaurants that welcomed our evening dance parties!   See our Facebook site Dance Vallarta 2013 for photos and video links.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Turkish Roman music/video

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Music from my past workshops

All cd’s listed here are available on Amazon.com, some through Chapters Indigo, and one from iTunes.  All of them are terrific!

Performed by Turkish Roman (gypsy) musicians:

Selim Sesler  – Road to Kesan: Turkish ROM & Regional Music Thrace       track: Tulum 5:01

Selim Sesler and Brenda MacCrimmon – Karsılama    tracks: Daracik Sokaklar 5:29 and  Karcigar Köçekçe 1:55

Ahmet Kusgoz Ve Arkadaslari  – Gypsies of Turkey   – also available through iTunes –  track: Tulum Roman Havasi 3:06

Mustafa Kandirali –  Caz Roman   track: Mastika 7:19

Popular Turkish Roman tunes performed by non-Romani Turkish or Turkish-Canadian musicians:

Minor Empire  –  Second Nature    track: Yuksek Yuksek Tepeler 4:42  ( Leah, Kalina, and I performed to this track in Victoria’s Bellydance Showcase Hafla)

Candan Erçetin – Aman Doktor    track: Cadirimin Üstüne/Sürüverin Cezveler Kaynasin 4:23  (I didn’t play this during the workshop, but it offers another dynamic interpretation of a popular song)

Kalina, Lynette, and Leah perform at OPA’s Bellydance Showcase, Victoria September 2012

Youtube videos of Turkish Roman dance worth watching

I wish I’d been at this village wedding in Turkey!  Fortunately, the video is very clear, aside from the extra digital effects:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=4eIPhZ_g8Xk&feature=endscreen

My current favourite Roman dancer. I’m inspired by her expressive face and gestures, and the underlying structure of her performance. It looks like the same wedding and videographer as above:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=wCTiViIr1xg

A very different venue, two dancers, two distinct personal styles:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sXnk3ATd9g&feature=related

A dynamic male dancer, presenting Roman dance at a Hidrellez festival in Turkey – a virtuosic solo turns into a delightful duet!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLPtt2KsOT4 

Brief clips of social dancing at Hidrellez celebrations around Turkey.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn909jWv0k4

Vancouver Island Bellydance Showcase

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Saturday September 22, 2012 – Victoria-based OPA society celebrated the very best in our Island bellydance community!  Among the 6 mini-workshops, I taught a session on Turkish Roman dance.  I’ve listed some of my music resources and video inspirations in the Resources page “Turkish Roman workshop music and videos”

Workshop Descriptions:
10am -‘Layering Drills for Refined Technique’ with Candace Sanchez
Come on out and get your sweat on! Learn what muscles create what movement and how to implement different foot patterns with those movements. You will start the breakdown process of how to make multiple movements happen all at the same time.

11am -‘The Science of Shimmies’ with Pamela Ball
Technique to relax, ground and layer your shimmies while stationary or travelling for “shimmies that shine.”

12pm -‘Flamenco Fusion’ with Shari Nakagawa
This workshop will introduce flamenco arm and hand patterns, marking steps and skirt technique. Combinations will be taught to demonstrate how to layer this over bellydance hip movement. Be sure to bring a long skirt with you!

2pm -‘Kalbelia Sapera’ with Cathy Stoyko
Also known as Rajasthani ‘gypsy’ dance, this workshop will give you an introduction to this traditional folk dance from the Northern Indian state of Rajasthan.

3pm -‘Turkish Romani Style and Movement’ with Lynette Harper
Experience the vibrant, earthy Turkish style of Romani dance. Learn distinctive moves and phrasings that complement the sensuous and expressive qualities of Romani music – and may be blended with your own bellydance style.

4pm -‘Zills, Drills & Combinations’ with Bobbie
Since Egyptian style bellydance has increased in popularity over the American Cabaret style of the 1970s, playing finger cymbals has become somewhat of a lost art. At this workshop, you will learn some basic zill patterns beyond the “gallop,’ and coordinate those patterns with movement combinations.

Evening hafla featuring the workshop instructors and local dancers!
Doors at 7:30; Show at 8:00
Pay at the door:   $5 for OPA members; $10 for non-OPA members

Registration forms available at www.OPAsociety.com
Questions? Want to perform? Want to vend? Email info@OPAsociety.com

Smokin’

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“Light a cigarette and to hell with the world!”

This choreography blends Roma dance improvisation with western contemporary dance and “gypsy” stereotypes. Inspired by the 3 Mustaphas 3 version of Anapse To Cigaro.

 

Turkish music for dancers

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Gypsies of Turkey with Ahmet Kusgoz Ve Arkadaslari

Karsilema until you drop! This album is chock full of 9/8 rhythms played at different tempos (mostly fast), alternating with ciftitelli and other regional instrumentals. I regularly recommend this energetic and passionate album for dancers who want “real Turkish Rom” music, as it is readily available from online vendors in mp3 or album format.

 

 

Istanbul Oriental Ensemble

I love the amazing theme albums created by these virtuoso Turkish musicians, and they can be purchased or downloaded online from several websites.  My two favourite albums are their latest, Grand Bazaar (pictured here) and Sultan’s Secret Door. Gipsy Rum also has some wonderful tracks, but I’m ambivalent about Caravanserai (which offers Turkish interpretations of Egyptian and other Middle Eastern music).  There’s a Wikipedia article about the Ensemble’s leader, Burhan Öçal – and if you’ll enjoy innovative music blending electronics, jazz, and Turkish traditions, try his album with the Trakya All-Stars!

 

 

Any album by Mustafa Kandirali

Kandirali is a legendary Turkish Rom clarinetist, and I find it impossible not to be swept away by any of his taksim pieces. I’ve  just ordered his latest CD, with remastered tracks to celebrate his 75th birthday. Here’s an excerpt from the rootsworld.com website:

Kandirali’s Gypsy background lends him an immediate global outlook, and his undeniable skill on the instrument gives him the tool he needs to execute it. But he is not limited to any one genre. He has clearly absorbed a lifetime of jazz, Turkish and western popular music as well as the myriad styles of traditional folk music of Turkey, and he has developed an improvisational bent that is on par with any of the great American jazz men, with flourishes and attacks that would rival Miles Davis’ or John Coltrane’s adventures in sonic experimentation…Which is not to say he mimics any of his influences. The end result of this international background is a decidedly unique Turkish music, whether it is a traditional taksim, a çiftetelli (belly dance), a Gypsy song or a soaring original composition/improvisation.

How to make your husband a Sultan  This quote from cdroots.com says it well:  Yes, in spite of the horrendous cover and the dreadful title, herein lies some of the real deal, brilliantly performed ‘belly-dance’ music from the 1960s featuring some of the era’s most respected performers including Mustafa Kandirali, clarinet, and Ahmet Yatman, kanun. In the guise of that swing-era staple, the art of domestic seduction, and produced by and featuring the famous Turkish dancer Özel Türkbas (first brought to America to dance by Italian movie director Franco Zeferelli), this album originally sold 150,000 copies in the US (and a million in Turkey), spawning the craze for bellydance and Turkish music that continues today. If this had been released by anyone other than Traditional Crossroads, I would have ignored it.

 

 

Check out the Traditional Crossroads website for a wide selection of Turkish music, including more dance music for Özel Türkbas, Rom music by Selim Sesler, Kandirali and others, and extensive listings of contemporary and re-mastered historical recordings from Turkey and elsewhere.

Karsilama

This lively album features Selim Sesler (clarinet) and vocalist Brenda MacCrimmon, who originally hails from Toronto!  The extensive liner notes provide an informative introduction to Karsilama and other Turkish music in 9/8 rhythm.  The songs and instrumental tracks are diverse and very dance-able!

 

Romani dance workshops

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Ghawazee Sparkle & Turkish Soul

A short introduction to movement in two distinctive Roma styles. Strengthen your dance vocabulary, skills, and knowledge in a session contrasting the sinuous embellishments of Turkish dance styles with the quivers, shimmies and “earthquake tremors” of Egyptian Ghawazee dance. Read review. Teaching level: Multilevel (beginner through advanced) Length: 1 1/2 hours

April Point Retreats, Quadra Island BC

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2013 Dates TBA – Gypsy Spirit Dance Retreats with Lynette

at April Point Resort & Spa on Quadra Island (3 hours north of Victoria) –

Discover your “gypsy spirit” with Gypsy (Romani) style bellydance. You’ll quickly learn the basic moves to passionate music and lively rhythms.  Celebrate the informal spontaneity of traditional Romani dance styles from Turkey, Spain and Egypt, with distinctive steps and sinuous movements you can blend with any other dance style.  This workshop blends bellydance warmups and fundamentals with Gypsy/Romani dance to provide a gentle total body workout that is easy on your joints, increases flexibility – and is a lot of fun!

This multilevel class is designed for beginners to intermediate levels – or teachers/performers who wish to expand their repertoire.

About April Point Resort & Spa

April Point Resort & Spa is an island getaway away from the crowds, featuring the elegant yet laid back atmosphere of the west coast. Enjoy wildlife tours, kayaking, fishing, spa treatments, island tours and sumptuous meals, all enhanced by the stunning natural beauty of Discovery Passage. Guests also enjoy the amenities of Painter’s Lodge in Campbell River, connected by a complimentary scenic water shuttle. For reservations or more information, please call 1-800-663-7090 or visit obmg.com.

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Past April Point Retreats:  2008 & 2009  

Belly Dancing: The Art of Middle Eastern Dance

April Point Resort & Spa on Quadra Island (3 hours north of Victoria)

Discover the joy of Middle Eastern dance, an art that has inspired and empowered people for millennia. Learn the fundamentals of this graceful, energetic dance in a supportive environment suitable for a range of ages and abilities. This year you’ll learn bellydance fundamentals that merge traditional folk dances with contemporary moves and music; and explore earthy Roma (gypsy) dance, Latin Arabian dances that mix Latin flair with Arab moves, creative dance exercises, and freeflowing dance with veils.  Bellydance provides a gentle total body workout that builds strength, is easy on your joints, and increases flexibility. And, it’s fun too!