One weekend in 1993 my dance troupe placed an ad in the newspaper, some signs on the street, and we held a Gypsy Garage sale. We garnered over $1,000 in small change before lunch. Our success was partly due to the spirit of our event. We dressed the part and acted out the stereotypic image of colorful wheeling & dealing Gypsy women. It's what made our garage sale a fun and colorful little happening, stopped cars dead in there path, and enticed the drivers to come spend their dollars on our recycled trinkets. We had a blast pretending to be Gypsies.

My interest in Gypsies started before Disney's Esmeralda. Goodness knows I was a Gypsy as many times as I was a bellydancer for Halloween. These two archetypal sisters have a strong appeal to something indescribably wild and vital with in our very souls. As with bellydance, there was an intuitive sense of what a Gypsy was, without any real understanding. Mostly myth and cultural caricature similar to image of the bellydancer. The movie "Lacho Drom" and "The Rominy Trail" have helped to fill in the real picture of who the Gypsies are, a distinctive ethnic cross-cultural group or family. But that is not the focus of my writing at the moment (I'll leave that story to Artemis Morat). I wish to tell you about my quest this past year to learn more about the Gypsy dances.

My first stop this year was Middle Eastern Music and Dance Camp in Mendecino California in late August to study with Dalia Carella from New York. I am particularly fond of Dalia's dance style. Her big-eyed innocence, playful spirit and heartfelt sincerity are an open invitation to join her in the dance. There were 70 women in the class. This speaks not only to the popularity of the subject but also to Dalia's personal popularity as an instructor and charismatic performer. Her Gypsy dance style compliments her oriental dance. It is a fusion of dancecrafts she learned from three main sources mixed with her own unique life force. After studying flamenco with Jose Melina in New York and a lengthy working tour in Spain, she danced at the La Carboniria in Seville and studied with Tibu La Torenta. She lived and breathed the dance, working first hand with flamencos. Secondly, she attributes much of her learning from Susan Tekbilek, the wife of musician Faruk Tekbilek. She lived with their family, which immigrated from Turkey, for a time. Her third influence came from studying East Indian Katak dance in New York with Najma Aisha.

Dalia taught us a mix of exacting stylization, resulting in the earthy and emotional blend that she delivers so masterfully. On stage her costumes are distinctive and unbelievably gorgeous! We got to take 5 classes with Dalia on Gypsy style and 5 classes on Oriental. We also also had the privilege to see her teacher/mentor Susan Tekbilek casually perform, accompanied by her husband Faruk, one evening at the camp. Then on the last day we got to perform a little dance choreography we learned to wonderful live music accompaniment. The dance felt like a rejuvenation of life force in our bodies. . . it was so very celebratory.

My next port of call was the Russian Gypsy Dance with Laurel Victoria Gray. A long time ago I used to do a Russian Gypsy solo in Laurel's dance troupe in Seattle. In those days she coached me and picked out the music: "Two Guitars" and "Dark Eyes." It had been a while, and I was eager to learn more and get reinspired. In mid September, she popped into Seattle on the spur of the moment and we got to have a short three hour workshop with her. Lucky for us, as it was such short notice, we had a small class in a large space, so we had plenty of room, necessary for the heavy swirling skirts, energetic runs and twirling fringed shawls characteristic of the Russian Gypsy style. It proved to be quite aerobic.

Laurel explained that one trademark of the Russian style, contrasted to the Hungarian style, was that the Hungarian Gypsy's arms would be more earthbound, while the Russian Gypsy took it's influence from the Russian folk dances that tend to be very athletic, with arms raised high and more demonstrative. She taught us a short and simple choreography which I found amply challenging. She explained that in a true Russian Gypsy Ensemble there would be highly advanced turns spins and dance steps that would require at least 10 years of ballet prerequisite. The Russian style employs lots of back bends, strenuous leans of the upper torso from the waist, whiplash neck moves and calf-splitting relev? hop steps. Laurel explained the body language and eye contact necessary for the dance. The haughty, unpredictable, yet prideful character was a great acting challenge to portray as we shook our breasts (not just our shoulders). Laurel has always had a flare for the dramatic and this style of dance lets us see it. Sometimes one gets to throw a prop or two across the stage during the dance, such as a flower or a shawl; in Laurel's case, her trademark is her bad news fortune telling cards!

At the beginning she led us in a thorough warm up process She ought to make this one available on video; everyone remarked at how beautiful it made us all feel. As the day moved on we saw how the warm up stretches had been directly taken from the material to be presented. It gave us a deeper understanding and familiarity with learning the particular movements as they were introduced. Her cool down was great too. Laurel always delivers a fantastic workshop. Our only complaint was that now that she inspired us, she's leaving us and we'll have to wait until she comes back to Seattle again to learn more. I guarantee it will be a much more crowded workshop then!

Third on the agenda was a video demonstration and interview by the well known writer/dancer/performer Artemis Morat from the Maryland area. Artemis comes from a family originally of Greek heritage that has lived in Turkey for the past 200 years. She says everyone from her culture dances, but it is quite another thing to wear a costume, become a professional and accept money for it. Some of her relatives say she teaches folk dance at the YMCA. In actuality Artemis is a superb researcher and historian as well as a lovely oriental dancer. On her video she talked through and demonstrated the two most common karshilamar rhythms, one fast, vivacious, aggressive and assertive, and the other slow, introspective, and smoldering, yet always in control and commanding.

Artemis originally traveled to Istanbul and the Sulukule colony or old Gypsy quarter to research an article for a travel magazine. After some thought the magazine decided that it wouldn't be a place that they would encourage tourists to go so they canceled the article. Rightfully so, Artemis found the quarter to be a very dangerous ghetto where going it alone would not be advisable; but she also found it to be an intriguing and magical place, built on the old ruins of Constantinople since at least the mid 1600's. Dr. Metin And, a ranking historian of Turkish theater and entertainment said, "This area has long been famous for it's bellydancing and in the past may have enjoyed a great time of influence upon the dance but at present has degenerated."*

In some situations American dancers were thrown for a loop by the frankness with which these Gypsy women addressed their own bodies. They live in a different world. For tips the dancer might remove her bra or dance clad only in a pair of bikini underpants. They are very proud of their breasts. The gorgios, non-Gypsies, would suppose these women were prostitutes but Artemis says that modern day Gypsies draw the line and prostitution is not an option even though the tourist might think that it is. Laurel told me a sad story that I found so poignant, where a twelve year old girl began to take off her bra and the American audience stopped her. The young girl was saddened because she thought it to mean she wasn't pretty enough for the American audience.

Artemis touched on the subject of gestures. I recognized many of the same moves from Dalia's class where a similar discussion came up. There is no way to know the meanings. It is surmised that the gestures derive from the mime of everyday activities, but no one knows. They have been passed down from generation to generation and in seeing them you intuitively know something powerful is being articulated. I feel it's something more powerful than grinding pepper or washing clothes, but perhaps these staples of existence stand metaphorically, pepper being a spice one adds to the food of life, for instance. The simple washing of clothes may be a symbol for a deeper sort of essential cleansing ritual. Artemis is currently working on a book and film documentary on the Turkish Gypsies. So we'll have to stay posted.

I think the appeal of this dance form for American women is that it satisfies some sort of spunk-filled aspect of our personality that rarely gets let out. Little girls and big girls alike love to pretend to be Gypsies! Slightly rebellious, free willed, fiery and passionate without having to apologize for being that way. It is important to be sensitive and realize that real Gypsies are a distinct and proud ethnic group that have been persecuted for their differences from the surrounding cultures. Always treat them and their traditions with respect and the dignity they deserve.

Well, my next point of discovery with the Gypsy dance will be on the island of Maui this January at my 10 day Visionary Bellydance Retreat (January 16 - 25 1997). I've invited Carolena Nericcio, director of the San Francisco-based dance troupe Fat Chance Bellydance, to be my guest instructor at this year's retreat and teach another very distinctive Gypsy style, sometimes known as American Tribal. It's neo-cultivation began in the 70's and has grown to the present with ever-popular appeal. It draws and mixes roots from Gypsy, nomadic and tribal traditions. Let me name a few who have been a major part of its early growth: Jamila Salimpour and her Troupe Balanant, Aisha Al, John Compton, Rossah and troupe Asmorani, Fat Chance Bellydance troupe, Troupe Bousadah in Washington and Gypsy Caravan from Oregon.

I'm really looking forward to adding more moves to my growing repertoire and understanding of the spirit of the Gypsy dance. If you're interested in joining us on Maui in January give me a call! (206) 632-2353 and or check out our Belly Dancing Retreats page.

Additional Reference:
* "Gypsies, Wanderers of the World," by Bart McDowell, published by the National Geographic Society, I970.