WHO WE ARE , WHAT WE DO, AND WHY
The Dancing Gypsy is the dream come true of dancer Dina LeDuke
(see sidebar) who has been playing a bellydancing Gypsy character at various events for over a decade ~
hence the name of her business. TDG aims to be a resource center for the Middle Eastern dance and
music community throughout central New England, and is also a place where we magical Gypsies-at-heart
can come to express ourselves and find our "needful things"! As such we are not overly interested in
competition, but rather in filling the needs of all our customers. We take pride in this fact, and we try to be
very inclusive in terms of our offerings of dance and music styles, costume designs, and other wares. The
styles we offer include Cabaret, Tribal, Folkloric, Gothic, Goddess, Renaissance, Theatrical, and Bollywood,
just to name a few. We sell sizes from extra small to XXX large. And, we don't just want to sell you
something and send you on your way. We'd like you to stay awhile, enjoy a cup of tea, leave us your
business card or flyer, and meet you again at the next hafla. We also proudly offer you our talents in
teaching and performing Middle and Near Eastern music and dance for your enrichment.

Our shop is largely a dancer consignment shop, offering costumes and accessories that are both new and
gently used, all at very affordable prices. Many of our items are handmade by local artisans and costume
designers. We offer a number of exotic imported items, jewelry, musical instruments, all-natural personal
care products, perfume oils, herb and spice blends ~ and also potions, amulets, and spells infused with a
little Gypsy magic for the curious or for the magickally inclined. In fact, our potion line is designed
exclusively for us by our friends and neighbors at Avalon Rose Farm! As to the subject of the
Gypsy/Romany people, part of our mission is to educate the public about this unique culture that has
influenced so much of Middle and Near Eastern music and dance. We carry informative books about the
Romany, their culture, and their folk traditions. (See below for a brief history of the "real" Gypsy people ~
the Romany.)

A few notes about our studio policies, just for the record: Our teachers pay a studio rental fee and as such
are independent contractors. However, we are all on the same page in terms of offering a consistent quality
of dance education, and each instructor comes to us with at least 10 years of teaching and performance
experience. Teachers are asked to keep within our schedule and pricing rates but are responsible for their
own classes, including the collection of fees. (Please note that some classes may not run at the discretion of
the teacher, due to sign-up minimums and other factors.) Our studio is available for hourly rental for
classes, workshops, practices, haflas, and other events by appointment. Scheduling is at our discretion, as is
cancellation due to inclement weather and/or other issues.
We would like to emphasize that TDG is here for YOUR benefit as well as ours, and we welcome you to
see our studio as a safe space to enrich your own dance experience.  

To conclude... The Dancing Gypsy offers a place for New England's bellydancers, musicians, and Gypsy
spirits to find each other, learn something, teach a class or workshop, enjoy good company, have some fun,
and take home the items they need to pursue their passion for the Near and Middle Eastern arts. Thanks
for dancing and shopping with us!
OUR CURRENT TEACHER LIST:
Brian LeDuke ~ Our Drumming teacher ~ Brian began his career as an 80's rock drummer, and has
been playing Western music professionally for over 25 years. He is proficient at strings and vocals as well
as many different kinds of drums, and has studied Middle Eastern music under such notable artists as
Mike Gregian, Raquy Danziger, and Carmine Guida. Brian has played at many clubs, medieval faires,
cultural events, and concert halls in the Worcester and Boston area, where he is well known for his intense
rhythm skills. In addition, Brian is trained as a professional actor and a live-steel swordfighter. Brian
co-organizes The Dancing Gypsy Band, and is half of the duet Ensemble Davuli, with his wife Dina.

Rihana (Rosemary Nolan) ~ Our Tribal Fusion Teacher ~ has been dancing, performing, and teaching
for over 25 years in a multitude of disciplines: ballet, jazz, modern dance, yoga, ballroom dance, and
bellydance. She began her study of bellydance 10 years ago and now focuses exclusively on Tribal Fusion.
Over the past 3 years she has studied with Kami Liddle, Rachel Brice, Urban Tribal, Mira Betz, Alyssum
Pohl, Zafira, and Amy Sigil of Unmata. Rosemary is also an herbalist, writer, gardener, culinary arts teacher,
and general bon vivant. She sells her handmade herbal soaps, bath salts, and sachets at The Dancing Gypsy
under the trade name "Howe Street Handworks", and is a member of our own Troupe Shivani.

Sabrina Tarulli ~ Our American Cabaret teacher ~ is the House Dancer and Bellydance Production
Manager at The Middle East Restaurant in Cambridge, and is also a featured dancer in many other venues
across New England. Sabrina is well known for her ability to thrill American and Middle Eastern audiences
with her amazing performances, particularly with her incredible floorwork and dramatic stylings. She is
recognized as a true artist in the field, and over the last 10 years she has won numerous awards for her
original choreographies and costuming. She is the Artistic Director of the Odalisque Dance Company, and
many of her students have gone on to fulfill their own successful dance careers. She is a gifted instructor
with an engaging personality, and she integrates many bellydance genres into her personal style. Sabrina
teaches Arabic, Modern Egyptian, Pharonic, Lebanese, Turkish-Armenian, and Greco-Turkish styles of
traditional bellydance; as well as Tribal and Goth stylizations for Fusion bellydance. She also shares with us
her mastery of finger cymbals, veils, the Wings of Isis, cane, sword, and candles.

Brooke Bishara ~ Our Egyptian Cabaret teacher ~ is currently on extended "maternity leave". We wish
her luck with her new little one and hope to see her again soon! :D
Dina is TDG's Gypsy Fusion and Belly-
robics Teacher; she is Creative
Director of TDG's Troupe Shivani;
she is the co-organizer and backup
percussionist of The Dancing Gypsy
Band; and is one half of the musical
duet Ensemble Davuli.

Dina has been dancing since the age of
4, and has been performing
professionally as a "Dancing Gypsy"
character since the turn of the century.
She has an extensive background in
Ballet, Jazz, and Modern Dance, and
also holds a Master's degree in
Teaching.

Dina is well-versed in Cabaret,
Tribaret, Gypsy, and Fusion style
bellydance. She has studied with
Morocco, Dalia Carella, Amaya,
Sabrina, Rose Champagne, Omar
Faruk Tekbilek, Awalim, and Aepril
Schaile to name a few of her most
notable teachers.
She has been a producer and promoter
of theatrical and dance events for over
15 years before founding TDG. She
has played music and danced with
members of Turku, Djinn, Ishtar, and
even the classic rock band Jethro Tull.  
Her performance venues have
included colleges, castles, nightclubs,
rock concerts, and many renaissance
faires (see below). Her bellydance
specialties include sword balancing,
skirt dancing, and percussion (zills,
tambourine, def, doumbek, davul, and
many more).

Dina is the webmistress for
thedancinggypsy.com, and in her
"spare" time she pursues her lifelong
hobbies of historical research, ghost
hunting, mediumship, natural healing,
kitchen witchery, and herb gardening.

Dina's Faire Resume:
* The Connecticut Renaissance
Festival, Woodstock CT  *
* King Arthur Faire at Hammond
Castle (Pastimes house dancer, 5 yrs) *
* Robin Hood Faire at Hammond
Castle (Pastimes) *
* Three Musketeers Faire at Bellecourt
Castle (Pastimes) *
* The Italian Renaissance Faire of
Revere (Pastimes) *
* Prince Williams' Faire, Auburn MA *
* Festival Of The Lion, Grafton MA *
* ISD Renaissance Festival of CT *
* Vermont Renaissance Festival *
* The First Parrish Faire of Newbury,
MA (Pastimes) *
* Mystic Realms Fantasy Faire (NJ) *
* Medieval German Festival,
Springfield MA *
* The Silver Kingdom Renaissance
Faire, Charlton MA *
* The Salem (MA) Pirate Faire
(dancer, musician, co-producer, 2 yrs) *
* The Southern Connecticut
Renaissance Faire *
* The Sterling Renaissance Festival
(NY) *
* King Richard’s Faire, Carver MA *
* The Pennsic Wars (PA) *
* Marketplace at Birka (NH) *
* The Quintavia Hafla, Bolton MA *
* The Gypsy Faire, Providence RI *

Other Bellydance Endeavors:
* Artistic Director of troupe "Green
Mountain Gypsies", 2000-01. *
* Member of performance troupe
“Accidental Circus”, 2002. *
* Special Performances with Ian
Anderson, and Jethro Tull at Mohegan
Sun Casino, 2003 *
* Member of Tribal/Fusion troupe
"Primal Redemption", 2006. *
* Member of Tribal/Fusion troupe
"Ambika Badi'ya", 2007. *

Productions:
* "Rythms of the Dance" bellydance
showcase, 2001. *
* "Mideast in the Mountains",
Vermont bellydance festival, 2002. *
* "The Worcester Bellydance Festival",
2004. *
* "NBDA Bellybuttons" Showcase,  
MC 2005; performer 2006, 2007, co-
host and performer 2009. *
* Dancing Gypsy haflas, 2008-present *
ABOUT THE DANCING
GYPSY'S PROPRIETRESS,
DINA LEDUKE
ABOUT THE DANCING GYPSY
A Brief History of the Romany ~ The Real Gypsy People

Part of the mission of The Dancing Gypsy is to bring attention to the culture, magic, music, and dance of
the Romany -- the "real life" Gypsy people. Since the Middle Ages, the Romany have been much maligned,
persecuted, romanticized, and finally "civilized" almost out of existence. Yet they persevere, and have had
an enormous influence on the music and dance of the Middle East, North Africa, Turkey, Spain, and
Eastern Europe, which remains to this day.

The Gypsies originated in Northern India from a mixture of various tribes such as the Jats, Sindis, Banjara,
Lohar, and Dom. Today, they prefer to be called Romany, Romani, or Rroma, and their language is a
derivative of Hindi. Some time around the 9th century, when the Islamic invasions of Northern India began,
these Hindi-speaking tribes were displaced and began to migrate westward, passing through Pakistan,
Afghanistan, and Persia. When they reached Armenia they split into two groups; one went northward into
Turkey, the other went southward into Egypt. By the mid-1400s the Turkish group made it into the Balkan
states, Italy, and thence into Northern and Eastern Europe. The Egyptian group travelled across North
Africa, crossed the Straits of Gibraltar, and ended up in southern Spain. Because of their mysterious dark
looks, foreign ways, and sudden arrival in large groups, medieval Europeans were somewhat taken aback by
these new people. The story given by some of the first Romany to arrive in Europe -- perhaps attempting to
placate their new neighbors -- involved a tale of their tribe being "Princes of Little Egypt" who were on
pilgrimage to holy places. The English began to call these dark travellers "Gyptians", and soon "Gypsies".
The name stuck, and thus a people of Indian origin were referred to as Gypsies for centuries. In modern
times, the term Gypsy is not considered the correct word to describe the Romany people, and is even
considered a derogatory term amongst the modern European Rroma. In America we use the term Gypsy to
describe a romantic vision of any colorful, magical, artistic, and independent people who travel about and do
not live by society's rules; we also use it to describe certain styles of music, dance, and costuming. But this
romantic "Gypsy style" of our popular culture should not be confused with the reality of the Romany as a
people.

It is true that the Romanies/Gypsies have always been independent nomads: travelling entertainers, peddlers,
horse traders, blacksmiths, and fortunetellers, among other professions. Traditionally, they kept their few
posessions in elaborately decorated wagons called "vardos", and usually wore their wealth in the form of
gold jewelry or coins. As a rule they did not mix with the gadje (non-Gypsies) around them, except to do
business. This, coupled with their nomadic ways and the need to scrape out a living any way they could, led
them to be classified en masse as undesirables, thieves, con artists, and worse. By the early Renaissance
period in Europe, the persecution of the Gypsies had begun. In Romania they were enslaved, and elsewhere
they were often forced to leave their camps under threat of violence and even execution. This phenomenon
grew into massive, organized persecutions which included internment in Nazi extermination camps during
World War II ~ and, shockingly, these persecutions continue in some countries to this day.

In spite of their difficult past, and the struggles they continue to face, the Gypsies have given the world the
gift of their music and dance. They have influenced the performing arts in every country that claims to hold
the origins of bellydance: India, Turkey, Egypt, and so on. Some go so far as to say that the Ghawazee of
Egypt and the Cengi of Turkey (the Gypsies of those lands) invented the bellydance style that we practice
today. I will leave that up to the scholars to debate, but I think it is safe to say that bellydance is at least in
part a Gypsy dance. And I promise that The Dancing Gypsy will continue to teach about and honor the
history and culture of the Romany people as best we can.
Books we sell - and recommend - about the Romany people