A Roma Rehearsal

On the 12th May, I was pleased to be invited to meet a Roma group who get together every Sunday at Bolton’s Socialist Club, thanks to a collaboration between the club and a charity called KaskoSan. I’d been promoting a Live from Worktown project for National Diary Day so was keen to meet with a diverse range ethnic groups in the town and they kindly let me photograph them on the day.

Their focus that day was a rehearsal for an event to celebrate and communicate the Roma culture at the Theatre in the Mill in Bradford later that week, so I was a very willing observer of the proceedings.

Working in conjunction with the Javaad Alipoor Company who were producing the event, both the artistic director and producer were present, along with members of their production team.

With the event being named ‘A Flag Large Enough‘, the Roma flag was draped on a wall of the Social Club as a backdrop to the rehearsal. A universally recognised symbol of the global Roma community, it features a chakra in the centre to reminds the Roma of their Indian origin. Being similar to a wheel, it also represents constant movement and progress. The green bar stands for the colour of grass in the fields, fertility, and eternal terrestrial values, while the blue represents the sky and eternal spiritual values.

Juice, the leader of KaskoSan, opened the performance with a speech and a rendition featuring traditional guitar music.

That was followed by a dancing demonstration led by a couple who run Roma dancing classes for youngsters in the local area.

While the female movements were intricate and artistic, the male dancing was more a show of athletic prowess and speed!

The performance is also a platform for the members of KaskoSan to express what being Roma means to them as well as their hopes for the Roma community.

This mother and daughter pair gave impassioned speeches touching on their hope that people of the UK would start to drop the stereotypical view of Romas, so that their community would cease being targets of direct racism. Within the community itself, they expressed a desire for the breaking down of barriers between the four Roma castes, another reminder of their Indian roots.

Several different Roma groups were involved in the performance coming not just from Bolton, but also from various northern towns in Greater Manchester and Lancashire. It was great to see a proud mum watching her children take part in the dancing.

Along the back row of spectators, other youngsters shyly watched on.

Now putting the finishing touches to this blog a few weeks after attending the rehearsal, I was saddened to read earlier today on the BBC website that Bolton Council is closing a designated site for the Traveller community. Citing crime and violence as the main reason, I wonder whether this is another case of the actions of a few that then go on to affect the lives of many. I’m sure this impacts Roma people such Juice and members of KaskoSan who are trying to live harmoniously and who are working hard to positively change the wider view of their community throughout the north of England. I hope this action isn’t too destructive and disheartening and that, in conjunction with the support of the Socialist Club, they continue their good work.

Finally, I’d like to thank Juice, everyone at KaskoSan, the Javaad Alipoor Company for letting me sit on through their production and Neil McAlister of the Socialist Club for arranging permission for me to attend the rehearsal. It was a treat to watch and I’m sure the performance on the night of the 16th May was a massive success!