I Believe in Gypsies!
(But Not as a Style of Belly Dance)
“Gypsy Dancer?”
Photo Credit: K Shrapnell
by Sara Shrapnell
posted November 24, 2014
Anyone who has surfed the Internet, joined discussion groups, or researched belly dance in any depth, will have seen the horror and fury that can be induced by posting a video of “Gypsy belly dancing”, asking for the best vendors for “Gypsy skirts” or (deep breath) offering to teach a “Gypsy workshop.” I have read many times that “Gypsy” is a bad word because they prefer to be called “Rom.” Therefore, it is disrespectful to use the word in any form. I beg to differ.
You see, Gypsies do exist! I have seen them. I have Gypsy blood. I just think that some belly dancers are confused about who they are defending.
Let me first clear up the bit about Gypsy blood I have just claimed: the man who contributed it to my family, sadly, or maybe not so sadly, didn’t stick around to add any culture, history, or parenting skills to his DNA. That was not a Gypsy thing, or a man thing, or a British thing. It was just “a thing.” Short term relationships, resulting in babies happen all over the world, and have happened throughout history. I won’t pretend to have any understanding of Gypsy culture beyond that which everyone in the UK has, although I did get to go to the fair in Somerset a few times and was introduced to a huge number of “Aunties” and “Uncles” in my childhood. I don’t remember now which part of the family they came from. It hardly counts.
However, what I do know is that in 2011, about 58,000 people self-identified their ethnicity as Gypsy/Irish Travellers in the UK Census.
Despite estimating that their people had been in the country for more than 500 years, before 2011 there was no official box to tick that recognized this group as an ethnicity. In the run up to the 2011 census there was much discussion about what name could be used as an umbrella term for the many groups of British people who wanted to be included in this identification. They use a huge number of terms to self-identify; some are Rom, but others aren’t. In the end they chose the term “Gypsy/Irish Traveller”, and it was added to the census alongside the designation “Arab,” which was considered also to be a culture that was not previously represented on the form.
What this means for the Gypsy/Irish traveler community is that the UK government can now use these statistics to build a much clearer understanding of life expectancy (very low) education levels (also low) and average age (26), enabling it to provide the facilities needed to serve the people. Bureaucrats can look at the birth rates and subsequently build new schools and hospitals as needed. They can look at the population clusters and provide housing, counselling and support where it is appropriate. The Gypsy/Irish Traveller community is finally going to count!
What this also means is that there is an official term for this group of people: “Gypsy/Irish Traveller”. It might not be the way that every person in that group wishes to self-identity, (Each ethnic group has blurred lines, where parents of different cultures have come together, or where children have grown up in a place a long way from their parents homeland.) but we should respect the name that they have chosen for themselves. Just as the people from many diverse countries and cultures now have the option to list themselves as “Arab,” so can the many people who identify with “Gypsy/Irish Traveller.”
How does this relate to Belly Dance? Fundamentally, it doesn’t–except where we make it an issue. Gypsy should not be a derogatory term unless it is used with hatred.
Sadly, it has been used in hatred, anger, and as an excuse to persecute throughout history, but if a group of people want to claim it as their name, to own it and to gather under the banner, then it is not our place, as outsiders, to limit its use. We should not call the Rom “Gypsies”, but we should also not presume to call the Gypsies “Rom”.
That does not imply that the British Traveller community has made any major contribution to belly dance as we see it today. In fact, the Travelers community is very private and not known for sharing their dance and culture with outsiders.
Calling a multi layered skirt a “Gypsy skirt” is lazy! It is inaccurate, and it should probably stop. (How about substituting: full, multi-tiered, gathered, dance skirt in mixed fabrics?) Nonetheless, arguing that there is no such thing as “Gypsies” is also wrong, uninformed, and insulting to those who gather their family under the title with pride. As a community, we dancers should move away from using the word “Gypsy”, but in doing so, we should respect those who own the term and are finally being recognized as a culture in the UK.
Further information:
- UK Office for National Statistics
- Census 2011: Gypsies and Irish travellers get a box
- Census to include Traveller tick box for first time in history
Resources:
-
Author’s bio page . Author is also a contributor to the Belly Dance Reader 2!
Have a comment? Use or comment section at the bottom of this page or Send us a letter!
Check the "Letters to the Editor" for other possible viewpoints!
Ready for more?
- 9-12-14 The Best of the British! The South of England Belly Dance Scene.
Like every area, the UK has seen an ebb and flow in the popularity of belly dance, the economic impact and the rise in popularity of fusions styles has changed the dance from when I first started twenty years ago. Yet I see a strong, healthy and supporting scene posed to expand when disposable income in the general population increases. - 8-7-12 Balkanic Eruption, Fiery Fusion Flavors for Oriental, Tribal, and Gypsy Dance!
The Balkan spirit brings Mediterranean fire to Slavic earthiness to Byzantine mystery. Balkan music and dance weaves these elements together in the strong and purposeful rhythms and steps of the circles - 5-16-12 Gypsy Flair Romani Party! 2 DVDs with Fun and Energy in Mind! Ansuya’s Istanbul Nights and Liz Strong’s Turkish Roman Dance
I reviewed two very pleasant, fun DVDs, Istanbul Nights by Ansuya, and Turkish Roman Dance with Elizabeth Strong. Both DVDs have much to offer, and are surprisingly different from each other in their interpretation of Romani Dance and teaching styles. - 2-15-11 Turkish Dance DVDs: For the Birds? Danceuse by Asena" and "Sema Yildiz: Turkish Belly and Gypsy Dance"
I enjoyed her Roma dancing the most and felt that it would be amazing to watch Sema in person to experience all the facial and tiny pelvic movements. - 10-6-06 What is Gypsy Bellydance?
…it is a sore point for representatives of the Roma community whose advocacy groups are very clear on their preference for the term Roma or Romani and consider the term "Gypsy" to be suspect when used outside their own community. - 6-29-06 “Gypsy” Dance in America,
Roma dance usually brings to mind tambourines and skirt-swirling, but these images are mainly a fantasy. - 11-29-01 Nomads of the Spirit
Know what are you contributing – either to their dilution as a people or the strengthening of their true image. - 3-28-08 Gypsy…Un, Deux, Trois, A Review on the “Journey Along The Gypsy Trail” Workshop
with Hadia, Jalilah Zamora, and Amrita Choudhury, Photos by Denise and Tracey Vilbert, Event held on January 5, 6, 2008, in Montreal, Canada - 11-16-14 Color, Graphic Design for Dancers, Part 2
Now we’ll delve into applying colors in marketing materials, returning to the ever-present concepts of hierarchy and legibility introduced previously. - 10-24-14 Alive – Inside and Out! Tai Chi Can Enhance Your Dance
Exploring and blending these disciplines has long been my “secret sauce.” Centering and breathing, conscious transitions, body and soul awareness–from footfall to fingertip and beyond–nourish and replenish my dance. - 10-17-14 Retirement, Is There Life After Dance?
Perhaps this was my mistake; I had a plan for my dance career, and I was not shy to tell it to everyone who would listen. - 9-30-14 An Evening of Egyptian Music and Dance, a Report from El Leil
Amina and the Aswan Dancers did it again! The sold out show at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts was another stellar example of the kinds of show their fans have grown to expect and they have not yet been disappointed. - 9-12-14 The Best of the British! The South of England Belly Dance Scene.
Like every area, the UK has seen an ebb and flow in the popularity of belly dance, the economic impact and the rise in popularity of fusions styles has changed the dance from when I first started twenty years ago. Yet I see a strong, healthy and supporting scene posed to expand when disposable income in the general population increases. - 9-6-14 Don’t Come Whining to Me! An Open Letter to Aspiring Young Belly Dancer
If you audition for a Greek restaurant – do NOT come to an audition with anything other than Greek music. - 9-1-14 A Journey to the West Bank, A Lone Dancer Visits Palestine
The refugee children were dressed in sweatpants and T-shirts, like school kids anywhere in the world. The coach was in a tracksuit, and his stern voice echoed over the young crowd. It could easily have been a basketball game, or perhaps a rehearsal for a play, that was about to begin in this gymnastics hall. But this was a dance rehearsal - 7-31-14 Patient is a Bellydancer, Part 2:The New Normal & the Boring Reason I’ll Never Stop Dancing
What was once an exercise in insanity is now how I hip drop and down walk.
Sausan
Nov 25, 2014 - 08:11:25
I enjoyed reading this article. Thank you.
Sierra
Nov 26, 2014 - 12:11:47
I”m sorry for your misunderstanding. Even though you are part “gypsy’, you would know that being labeled in a census Gypsy/traveler in the UK or Ireland is labeled such because it is a colonializing nation. The people you are referring to , when asked to describe them selves them use Rom or Romneschell, depending on which clan they belong to. Colonializing countries, and the US is a prime example , like to relabel the indigenious people they have conquered so they have no distinction and relationship with their true identity and thus can be forced into assimulation, and genocide
Sara
Nov 26, 2014 - 07:11:36
Hi Sierra,
Thank you for your feedback. One of the (many) reasons that the 2011 Census was such a turning point for the Gypsy/Irish Traveler population was that they played a key role in selecting the umbrella title to be used. I would thus argue that, while we might assume that they would describe themselves as Rom, when they actually had the opportunity to discuss the title they wished to gather under, they selected Gypsy/Irish Traveler. Although I could not find a list of the groups consulted during this process, I did find a similar list for the Scottish consultation process : http://www.theyworkforyou.com/spwrans/?id=2009-12-02.S3W-29194.h&s=gypsies+and+travellers+census+consultation#gS3W-29194.r0
Jennie
Jun 6, 2015 - 10:06:40
Hi Sierra, Irish Travellers are a distinct ethnic group to Rom
http://www.travellermovement.org.uk/resources/cultural-history/
Sierra
Jun 8, 2015 - 04:06:51
HI Jennie:
Yes I know….they prefer to be called Romnyschell (sp is wrong I know)…..to distinguish their clan from the U.K. Romani. Each clan or distinctive georgraphical area has their own particular name for that area/clan. This is true throughout all the countries throughout the world. One clan can not intermarry into another clan; nor wish to be called by another’s clan name.
Just as the Native American’s in America ask to be identified as the name Native American on the census instead of their individual soveiregn nations….it is due to land grants, census surveys which have to do with funding grant, and government assistance. The same is true throughout Europe; where it is better to be distinguished by one name on Census in Government so their is equal share of government resources and laws.
Thank you for your comment.