with Paulette Rees-Denis and Gipsy Caravan
Gypsy Caravan is a modern tribal bellydance troupe based in Portland, OR, who travel the world teaching and performing tribal bellydance and music. They have produced several award winning DVDs and CDs of their original eclectic, middle-eastern influenced music.
Founded in 1991 by artistic director Paulette Rees-Denis, Gypsy Caravan are a contemporary family - urban Berbers - of dancers and musicians dedicated to performing middle eastern inspired rhythms and dance styles. Their name pays tribute to the ancient nomadic peoples of the east who carried their song and dance with them as they traveled from their homelands.
Beginning as a spiritual/temple dance in India, the Gypsies performed their traditional dances in the various cultures they encountered, from Egypt through Algeria, Morocco, Turkey, Greece, to Spain. Rhythms, costume and dance styles saturated and shaped Gypsies lives as they migrated from country to country.
The Gypsy Caravan performs a modern eclectic style of tribal bellydance that reflects the same ancient longing to celebrate community spirit as well as the mysteries of Life.
The Gypsy Caravan musicians play a combination of traditional and modern instruments. Percussion instruments, such as the dumbek, davul, tar, and conga, match the dancers vigorous hip movements. Melodies played on various wind instruments including zurna, mizmar, arghul, and flute inspire the dancer's arm gestures. Together they all contribute to an exhilarating and sometimes mesmerizing sound.
The dancers use props such as veils, swords, baskets, and finger cymbals to demonstrate their skill as well as to enrich the performance. Although some of the dances are choreographed, the dancers use their improvisational instincts to ignite the music with the spontaneity of the moment. A balance of precision and grace showcases this dance as both intoxicating and powerful. The resurging interest in this dance style allows the Gypsy Caravan to both educate and entertain their wide and ever growing audiences world wide.
The Gypsy Caravan musicians play a combination of traditional and modern instruments. Percussion instruments, such as the dumbek, davul, tar, and conga, match the dancers vigorous hip movements. Melodies played on various wind instruments including zurna, mizmar, arghul, and flute inspire the dancer's arm gestures. Together they all contribute to an exhilarating and sometimes mesmerizing sound.
The first volume in a series of instructional DVDs on tribal style bellydance.
Paulette Rees-Denis takes you through extensive warm-up exercises, and then through basic steps with variations, including takseem, maya, arm movements, rib cage rotations, structural roll, Arabic walk, Egyptian basics, ghawazee, hip and shoulder shimmies, hip bumps, Tunisian and reach and turn. The Gypsy Caravan dancers demonstrate the movements with transitions
