Former Indian Prime Minister Indira Ghandi summarized the state of the Romani people very nicely at her opening speech at the International Romani Festival in Chandigarh, India on October 28, 1983 (paraphrased by Milena Hubschmannova & Jaroslav Jurasek):
"There are some 15 million Roms dispersed across the world. Their history is one of suffering and misery, but it is also one of the victories of human spirit over the blows of fate. Today the Roms revive their culture and are looking for their identity. On the other hand, they integrate into the societies in which they live. If they are understood by their fellow citizens in their new homelands, their culture will enrich the society's atmosphere with the color and charm of spontaneity."
Romani dance not only represents the Romani people, their culture and history, but is also a very individualistic form of expression. The emotional power comes from within the performer who abandons him/her self to his/her art and breathes life into it. Romani dance and music are a way of life, instruments through which the very essence of existence can be expressed. The dances also represent freedom - freedom of personal and spiritual expression, the only type of freedom possible for an oppressed people.
Because the Romani people have been so widely misunderstood, ostracized, oppressed, discriminated against, and were subject to attempted extermination by Hitler, they keep their culture closely guarded within their own family/social structure, passing it from generation to generation over a millennium until today. Other than Romani musicians who are widely acclaimed and sought after , very few have stepped forward and shared their vibrant art forms with the rest of the world, save perhaps for the Gypsy Flamenco artists of Andalucia. It is therefore way overdue for Romano Kheliben to be part of the rest of the dance world, and speak its story and history and perhaps dance its way to the future. It is a dance art form definitely worth preserving!
For further reading, please see Nadia's article, The Story of the Roma is in the Dance which appeared in Roma Nos. 48-49, 1998, Chandigarh, India.
Nadia, Romani Dancer
Her work is largely improvisational. Although to a certain extent it is choreographed in terms of "the broad sketch", the dances truly express her emotional state at the time, so that each performance of a particular "piece" is truly unique. The relation with music is fundamental to unite ones own identity with that of the musical expression and yet not lose what you have inside you and all the things you'd like to express, remembering that you are dancing in the name of your people, dancing a story honoring your roots. This type of sharing becomes a spiritual communication with others and one is able to experience a certain force and mystery that reaches beyond the ordinary.
Combining poetry, music, and dance simultaneously has proven to be a very unique and effective means of expressing her heritage and sharing it with her audiences.
She has written original poetry, which has been published nationally as well as internationally (e.g. in Roma, the half yearly journal on the life, language, and culture of the Roma (Gypsies of Europe, the Americas, Russia, etc., and in The Roads of the Roma, published by University of Hertfordshire Press)), in both English and Romani. She has recited some of this work (as well as many other works including original poetry, songs, and traditional Romani short stories!) to original Romani music, and choreographed dance pieces which present a unique integration of these multiple art forms in a coherent work. Her article, Romani Dance, Romano Kheliben, Links Roma to India , appeared in The Dance Annual of India Attendance, Ashish Khokar, ed.1999.
In addition to various parties and benefits both public and private, Nadia has shared her works with audiences at the following major venues around Honolulu:
Elsewhere, she has danced at various venues in:
She had the pleasure of presenting her work in conjunction with the Hawaii premiere of the internationally acclaimed film, "Latcho Drom" a musical documentary on the life and history of the Romani people, and has also been honored by the opportunity to entertain the Indian Ambassador to the United States, for who she danced privately in her home. At the invitation of the National Film Board of Canada, she has appeared in their documentary on the Roma, titled, Opre Roma, released in 1999. Perhaps the greatest honor is the display of her work at Romano Kher (Roma House & Museum), the official museum of the Indian Institute of Romani Studies at Chandigarh, India, and to have been invited by its director, WR Rishi, to come to India to dance at an International Festival of Romani Culture.