Performance of American Gypsy by PARADAIZ

PARADAIZ in Bucharest, Romania presented a performance of American Gypsy livestreaming on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network on Thursday 12 September at 11 a.m. EDT (New York, UTC-4) / 15:00 UTC+0 / 17:00 CET (Berlin, UTC+2) / 18:00 EEST (Bucharest, UTC+3). 

American Gypsy is a performative exploration of migration from Romania, inspired on one hand by the autobiographical novel with the same title by the Roma writer Oksana Marafioti and on the other hand by official data which reveals that in 2017 Romanians were the largest European group deported from the US. The show puts on stage the story of Romanian migration in the US, as seen through the eyes of a Roma teenager that is absorbed by cultural differences, especially the ones in music, following her attempt to integrate in the new context. 

American Gypsy has a multidisciplinary approach making use of elements from theater, performance, contemporary dance, biomechanics and cultural research. By putting them together, it re-imagines choreographies inspired by pop culture. Combined, the disciplines cast light on the statute of migrants in an entirely new culture.

Performers: Raisa Mihai, Răzvan Rotaru
Sound design: RekAbu
Video: Ira Merzlichin
Choreography: Răzvan Rotaru
Stage design & costumes: Mișa Dumitriu
Directing: Mihai Lukács

About American Gypsy
American Gypsy is the continuation of a larger performative research and directing project of Roma teenagehood, by director Mihai Lukács. American Gypsy comes as a follow-up of another piece produced in 2017 by the Roma theatre company Giuvlipen, Who Killed Szomna Grancsa? (which follows the story of a Roma teenager who commits suicide in Frumoasa village, Harghita county). The project develops narratives about teenagers forgotten by society, the ones never in the foreground, the ones that grow up beside us but are never noticed. In too many cases, this leads to emotional difficulties and tragedy.

About HowlRound TV

HowlRound TV is a global, commons-based peer produced, open access livestreaming and video archive project stewarded by the nonprofit HowlRound. HowlRound TV is a free and shared resource for live conversations and performances relevant to the world's performing arts and cultural fields. Its mission is to break geographic isolation, promote resource sharing, and to develop our knowledge commons collectively. Participate in a community of peer organizations revolutionizing the flow of information, knowledge, and access in our field by becoming a producer and co-producing with us. Learn more by going to our participate page. For any other queries, email [email protected], or call Vijay Mathew at +1 917.686.3185 Signal/WhatsApp. View the video archive of past events.