Why these dances?

You might ask why I am posting these dances to my blog. It is because they are dances I am teaching in my dancing circles and workshops and I think it is really important to see how native dancers do these dances. I believe the dances of a culture transmit something very important about that culture that cannot be put into words. Many of these videos are from the Herdelejzi Festival that takes place in May in Sebastopol, California. It is hosted by Sani Rifati, a Rom from Macedonia, with many Rom musicians and dancers. I think there is a special flavor to a festival produced by and for the Roma. A festival produced by non-Rom, about the Rom, just isn't the same. I must apologize for my video clips. They are often too short and sometimes just scraps. But, I am likely to be dancing and having a great time and then say, "Oh my goodness, I need to be video taping this one." Then it's scramble, scramble, oops. Sometimes the dance is moving so fast, I am just running along behind trying to get a shot through someone's legs. And then some of the videos are pretty good. So, enjoy!