RomaGypsy Festival DC area April 21 2007

Subject: RomaGypsy Festival DC area April 21 2007
From: Linda Goodman Zebooker
Date: 08 Mar 07 - 07:52 PM

I've just seen a flyer for the First Annual Baltimore Washington Herdeljezi (Roma/Gypsy) Festival. It's billed as a "Roma (Gypsy) Culture Intensive, the first of its kind on the East Coast". There will be dance classes, instrumental music classes and an evening dance party with two bands. The music is from Bulgaria, Macedonia, Romania, Transylvania, Hungary, Rjashan and Czech Republic.

One of the evening bands is the Balkanics, which I have enjoyed hearing in a number of different venues around Washington DC. They are a "wedding" band that plays regularly at the Wonderland Ballroom on the last Wednesday of each month, and it's impossible not to listen to them with a tremendous grin on your face for two hours. (having beers while listening/dancing to their music does not hurt either)

The festival will be from 10 AM - 10 PM on Saturday April 21st in Bethesda/Rockville MD, at St Marks Church, where they have been having the IMT concerts. There's a charge to register for individual workshops/concerts or all day. The website for the festival is 1st Annual Herdeljezi Festival.

--Linda

Subject: RE: RomaGypsy Festival DC area April 21 2007
From: Sorcha
Date: 08 Mar 07 - 08:01 PM

Somebdy make sure InOBU sees this! I'd LOVE to go!! Oh well. :(

Subject: RE: RomaGypsy Festival DC area April 21 2007
From: SINSULL
Date: 09 Mar 07 - 07:56 PM

That sounds wonderful but I have a wedding in NYC the following week and can't get the time off. Damn.
SINS

Subject: RE: RomaGypsy Festival DC area April 21 2007
From: InOBU
Date: 10 Mar 07 - 09:12 AM

What no Kali Yag? Oh well, I'd love to go, but the next few months are completly dillo for me. There is an off chance I might be in a comference in MD around that time, depending on Genie's trial schdual... we'll see.
lor

Subject: RE: RomaGypsy Festival DC area April 21 2007
From: Linda Goodman Zebooker
Date: 12 Apr 07 - 08:07 AM

The Herdeljezi Festival now has added two follow-up workshops on Sunday April 22 and Wednesday April 25. Information on the whole festival, plus additional information on this type of music is at a new website of www.wmfolklifecenter.org. Click on the Calendar link. (for some reason I can't get the blicky to work properly).

In addition to the dance classes, I'm planning on taking the Beginning Darabuka (hourglass-shaped drum) class. This class, they assure me, is perfectly suitable for someone with no experience in drumming who wants to try a new area. There are other, more advanced drum classes also.

I heard the Balkanics again this week at their IMT concert. Their music just gets inside you and rattles around like no other type. It might be the clarinet and sax playing in thirds that produces that non-stop smile everytime I hear it.

Linda