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Taking the Gypsy Trail to New Mexico
By By Mahin
Variety is the spice of life and dance is no exception. So, with this in mind I set off to New Mexico this past January to get a little taste of Turkish Roman Gypsy dance. On January 30th & 31st, Santa Fe’s Railyard Performance Center was filled with other dancers, like myself, looking to expand their dance horizons and rhythmic experience into the 9/8 realm. Our guide and instructor for this adventure was Ahmet Ogren, hosted by local Santa Fe dancer, Joan Kafri who studied with him in his native Istanbul, Turkey after discovering him on YouTube.
Ahmet speaks very little English, but that didn’t seem to limit his ability to communicate the dance in the least. In fact, in retrospect it may have been an asset. I found that instead of relying on verbal information on body placement and movement, I was forced to observe very acutely every detail of his movement. The fact that he did everything in slow motion with precise footwork, while marking the 9/8 rhythm made his teaching style very effective. He was a keen observer as an instructor as well and repeated his non-verbal breakdowns when necessary. He moved through the room during skill drills and stopped to correct or compliment individuals as he went.
Ahmet was accompanied on this trip by a friend, Ali Yenigun, who served as an interpreter while he shared a wealth of cultural information on both the Gypsy people and their dance. Ali also closed the communication gap for us when we had specific questions on the material. By working as a team, Ahmet’s lack of English became a complete non-issue.
The weekend’s program included two full days of workshops, all taught by Ahmet. The first half of Saturday focused on cultural information, understanding the 9/8 rhythm and basic steps and accents. In the latter portion of Saturday, he presented more step combinations and variations. After his breakdown and some repetition, he danced on to a previous step or combination and without command we followed along. For me, he hit just the right balance of quantity of material and repetition to take home skills I have fully remembered and used.
On Sunday we finally caught on to his plan! He began teaching choreography and all those pairs and sets of combinations started to fall into place, now feeling familiar. Of course we all had fallen to sleep with “1, 2, 3…4, 5 ah!” ringing in our ears, so the 9/8 rhythm was starting to flow and so was the fun. Ahmet’s personality doesn’t need language to show itself. He is animated, playful, and at times dramatic “ but all with a layer of mischievousness very close to the surface. Every bit of it shows when he dances, which makes him a delight to watch.
Over a post-workshop dinner, with the help of Ali, I learned that Ahmet was born in Kasimpasa, Turkey and was largely self-taught as a dancer. He learned Roman Gypsy style by hanging around the Gypsy camps and dancing with the people. He started dancing professionally in 1978, working in tourist areas teaching and performing folk dances. In 2009, he was a dancer in Turkish singing star, Sezen Aksu’s stage show.
For the past 3 years he has been travelling internationally, teaching both Oriental and Roman Gypsy dance, which is especially close to this heart. He has a deep emotional connection to this oppressed people and has dedicated himself to researching the culture and teaching the style in its truest form. He hopes to produce DVDs and a book on the universal nature of dance in the future.
When asked if he enjoys any other dance styles just for fun, he replied that he enjoys watching all types of dance but doesn’t do any other styles personally. He prefers improvised performance to choreography, explaining that it lets the dancers “show themselves”; he expressed disappointment that dance is losing its spontaneity through formal instruction. One of the things he most enjoys in a dancer’s performance is expression, conveying it not just through movement but also in the face.
Most of all, Ahmet expressed his profound happiness at how dance has “opened his world” and his joy at how dance is capable of bringing people together. He did just that in Santa Fe; he broadened our view of the dance and brought a little Istanbul to the southwest.
Mahin teaches and performs cabaret & folkloric bellydance styles and has a B.S. in Exercise & Wellness. Based out of Phoenix, AZ she is hitting the road with her hip scarf! www.shes-got-hips.com
Ahmet speaks very little English, but that didn’t seem to limit his ability to communicate the dance in the least. In fact, in retrospect it may have been an asset. I found that instead of relying on verbal information on body placement and movement, I was forced to observe very acutely every detail of his movement. The fact that he did everything in slow motion with precise footwork, while marking the 9/8 rhythm made his teaching style very effective. He was a keen observer as an instructor as well and repeated his non-verbal breakdowns when necessary. He moved through the room during skill drills and stopped to correct or compliment individuals as he went.
Ahmet was accompanied on this trip by a friend, Ali Yenigun, who served as an interpreter while he shared a wealth of cultural information on both the Gypsy people and their dance. Ali also closed the communication gap for us when we had specific questions on the material. By working as a team, Ahmet’s lack of English became a complete non-issue.
The weekend’s program included two full days of workshops, all taught by Ahmet. The first half of Saturday focused on cultural information, understanding the 9/8 rhythm and basic steps and accents. In the latter portion of Saturday, he presented more step combinations and variations. After his breakdown and some repetition, he danced on to a previous step or combination and without command we followed along. For me, he hit just the right balance of quantity of material and repetition to take home skills I have fully remembered and used.
On Sunday we finally caught on to his plan! He began teaching choreography and all those pairs and sets of combinations started to fall into place, now feeling familiar. Of course we all had fallen to sleep with “1, 2, 3…4, 5 ah!” ringing in our ears, so the 9/8 rhythm was starting to flow and so was the fun. Ahmet’s personality doesn’t need language to show itself. He is animated, playful, and at times dramatic “ but all with a layer of mischievousness very close to the surface. Every bit of it shows when he dances, which makes him a delight to watch.
Over a post-workshop dinner, with the help of Ali, I learned that Ahmet was born in Kasimpasa, Turkey and was largely self-taught as a dancer. He learned Roman Gypsy style by hanging around the Gypsy camps and dancing with the people. He started dancing professionally in 1978, working in tourist areas teaching and performing folk dances. In 2009, he was a dancer in Turkish singing star, Sezen Aksu’s stage show.
For the past 3 years he has been travelling internationally, teaching both Oriental and Roman Gypsy dance, which is especially close to this heart. He has a deep emotional connection to this oppressed people and has dedicated himself to researching the culture and teaching the style in its truest form. He hopes to produce DVDs and a book on the universal nature of dance in the future.
When asked if he enjoys any other dance styles just for fun, he replied that he enjoys watching all types of dance but doesn’t do any other styles personally. He prefers improvised performance to choreography, explaining that it lets the dancers “show themselves”; he expressed disappointment that dance is losing its spontaneity through formal instruction. One of the things he most enjoys in a dancer’s performance is expression, conveying it not just through movement but also in the face.
Most of all, Ahmet expressed his profound happiness at how dance has “opened his world” and his joy at how dance is capable of bringing people together. He did just that in Santa Fe; he broadened our view of the dance and brought a little Istanbul to the southwest.
Mahin teaches and performs cabaret & folkloric bellydance styles and has a B.S. in Exercise & Wellness. Based out of Phoenix, AZ she is hitting the road with her hip scarf! www.shes-got-hips.com
