Beyond the stage, Roma dance lives at weddings, baptisms and feast days across the Balkans and Central Europe. Circle and couple dances, often improvised, bind communities together and mark the milestones of life.
Steps, gestures and styles vary by region and family, transmitted by watching and joining in rather than by formal teaching. This everyday dance is the root from which the celebrated stage forms grew.
Sources & further reading: RomArchive (Dance section) and the Council of Europe Roma culture factsheets.
Gallery
26 openly-licensed images
Images via Wikimedia Commons — openly licensed (CC / public domain). Click any image to view full-size; source & licence shown below.
Be part of the network
Join as an artist, post a talent request, or explore the community.