Reveling Roma Style Christmas Show at Lisner Celebrates Gypsy Traditions by Carolyn Chapman A Roma language coach has arrived from New York to teach a chorus of more than 40 adults and 25 children to sing in Romanian, Hungarian, Serbian and Englishóhelping them not only with the language but capturing the primal sound that characterizes Gypsy music. A local Flamenco artist is preparing to dance the rhythmic Andalusian dance that evolved as an expression of the Gypsy way of life. Another local folk dance enthusiast is spreading his art by teaching the Calusarii, a traditional Romanian dance. Meanwhile, a brass band from Annapolis, Md., is busy learning Balkan rhythms, and a Bulgarian woman from Silver Spring, Md., is teaching a group of young women a song-and-dance ritual that unmarried Bulgarian women perform for their future husbands. Like the Roma themselves, who hail from around the world, this diverse group of people make up the cast of the Washington Revelsí annual Christmas production titled ìThe Christmas Revels 2003: Roads of the Roma,î which comes to the George Washington Universityís Lisner Auditorium for eight shows starting Dec. 5. ìItís more of an event than a play,î said Revels Artistic Di rector Roberta Gasbarre. ìIt will feel like a play, but a lot of the time, the onstage participants will be responding in real time.î The Christmas Revels is sure to be an epic performance, much like the epic journey that the Roma, or Gypsies, have taken from India (where they are thought to have originated) through the Middle East and Europe between the ninth and 14th centuries. The show will follow the Romaís odyssey, telling their story through song, dance, rituals and folk tales. The performance begins in India with the festivals of Navratri and Diwali. From there, the audience travels to Persia to hear the Muslim call to prayer for Eid al-Fitr, the feast that breaks the fast of Ramadan. We are introduced to Old Rom, the wise Romani storyteller and master of ceremonies who tells the story of Mohammed learning the Koran from the angel Gabriel. ìWeíre telling the Ramadan story as an example of the oral tradition in Romani history,î Gasbarre explained. The Revels then move westward, offering a glimpse into Eastern European Christmas rituals and carols. Balkan good luck blessings are spread with the tapping of the Sooroovachka sticks, and the Khanci Dos Budapest Band, whose members come from Hungaryís three main Roma tribes, perform their raw and powerful traditional Romani music in their U.S. debut. In southern France, the Revels celebrate the festival of Gypsy patron saint Sara Kali. The entire show then ends in Spain with a performance of flamenco guitar and dance, which ìembodies an aching tension and anger,î Gasbarre said. Gasbarre, who has been directing the Revels since 1990, describes the experience as being ìlike a folk opera,î emphasizing the passion and commitment that everyone in the show brings with them. ìWe all work on everything around here,î she said at a recent rehearsal. ìWe are all interested in community, and we believe that thereís an incredible talent in this community but that many people just choose not to make money in the arts.î The Washington Revels, which is a nonprofit institution, has been performing in the nationís capital for more than 20 years and is one of 12 Revels groups across the country whose parent organization is based in Massachusetts. For its annual Christmas performanceówhich is always a highlight of D.C.ís performing arts calendaróthe Revels regularly feature the music, dance, drama and folk tales of a particular culture or time. In addition to their passion, Revels performers also bring with them family members. Veteran D.C. actor Oran Sandel, who plays Old Rom in the production, is Gasbarreís husband, and the coupleís 9-year-old son Jamie will also be in the cast for the third time this year. ìI never knew that there were so many cultures within the Roma people,î Jamie said. ìItís really great knowing that you will be performing this.î Larry Weiner, a Romanian folk dance enthusiast, is the father-in-law of Svety Weiner of Bulgaria, who is teaching the Revels group Bulgarian folk rituals. ìItís unfortunate but a lot of these traditions are dying out,î she said. ìSince there are so many Roma in Bulgaria, I felt that I could share my knowledge with the Revels.î Peter Behr, who has been a Revels performer since 1996, brought along his grandson Jason Noone, a third grader, to the show this year. ìWe want the audience to see that this isnít just a chorus, but that there are families on stage,î Behr said. ìThere are people my age and people Jasonís age, with half a century between them.î Today the Roma, who are a unique minority since they have no historical homeland, live in nearly every country in Europe and Central Asia. Their traditions and rituals, which the Revels embrace, are as diverse as the different countries in which they live. ìThis is the way weíre headed anyway,î said Gasbarre. ìThe Internet has made the world so much smaller. Rituals are different everywhere, but the reasons we have the rituals are the same.î Tapping into these rituals is a way to explore different cultures, she explained. ìDonít give up who you are, but embrace the familiarity of the other cultures that you come across.î ìThe Christmas Revels 2003: Roads of the Romaî will perform eight shows at the George Washington Universityís Lisner Auditorium from Dec. 5 to 7 and 12 to 14. Tickets are $18 to $38 with discounts for those under 18. For more information, please call (202) 723-7528 or visit www.revelsdc.org. Carolyn Chapman is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat. Roma Population Often Live in Hardship The Washington Revels celebrate the vibrancy and diversity of Roma song and dance, but the reality for much of the worldís Roma population leaves little for them to celebrate. Throughout history, the Roma have suffered from severe poverty, discrimination, exclusion, long-term unemployment, lack of access to education, lack of adequate health care and horrible living conditions. Unemployment reaches 100 percent in some Roma villages, and nearly 80 percent of Roma in Bulgaria and Romania live on less than $2.15 per day. According to ìRoma in an Expanding Europe: Breaking the Poverty Cycle,î a report published earlier this year by the World Bank for a conference held in Budapest, ìRoma are the most prominent poverty risk group in many of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. They are poorer than other groups, more likely to fall into poverty, and more likely to remain poor.î The report portrays grim conditions for Europeís largest minority group (estimated at 7 million to 9 million). However, there is reason for optimism, according to the World Bank. ìTheir plight has not gone unnoticed,î wrote James D. Wolfensohn, president of the World Bank. ìOver the past decade, governments, civil society and the international community have actively supported initiatives to keep Roma children in school, expand access to jobs, and overcome discrimination.î There has also been a lot of momentum since the conference, said Dena Ringold, a senior economist at the World Bank and a co-author of the report. ìA lot of the governments have held meetings and increased their interaction with Roma groups.î She noted that the Hungarian government is leading the pack by setting 10-year targets to reduce Roma poverty and that Bulgaria has already passed a major antidiscrimination law. For more information on the Roma, please visit www.worldbank.org/roma. óCarolyn Chapman