MUSIC AND DANCE PERFORMANCE
THE  DANCING GYPSY BAND
ENSEMBLE DAVULI
At The Dancing Gypsy, we are fortunate to be associated with many talented dancers, drummers, and other musicians
from all over the Northeast. We have gathered a number of them into our fold in order to bring live Middle Eastern music
and dance to the Central New England area, and beyond. Please read on for detailed descriptions of The Dancing Gypsy
Band, Ensemble Davuli, and Troupe Shivani. FMI and booking: dina@thedancinggypsy.com
BAND MEMBERS:

Carmine Guida ~ Oud, Doumbek, Davul, Riq ~ Our long-distance
honorary member, as well as our mentor and musical inspiration,
Carmine is a well-known musician and teacher in the NYC Middle
Eastern scene. He is best known as a founding member of the band
Djinn, and he also plays for many of the talented bellydancers of
World Dance New York. Carmine has released numerous CDs and
DVDs, and his music also now appears on TV and movie soundtracks.
Carmine performs and teaches throughout the US, and internationally.
For more information about him, go to: www.carmine.com

Brian LeDuke ~ Doumbek, Def, Riq, Davul, Saz ~ Our resident
rock drummer and medieval musician, Brian has been playing Western
music professionally for over 25 years, and is proficient at strings and
vocals as well as drums. He has studied Middle Eastern music under
such notable artists as Mike Gregian and Raquy Danziger, in addition
to our mentor Carmine. Brian has played at many clubs, faires, cultural
events, and concert halls in the Worcester and Boston area, where he is
well known for his intense rhythm skills. Brian co-organizes The
Dancing Gypsy Band with his wife and percussion partner, Dina.

Dina LeDuke ~ Zills, Tambourine, Davul, Bass Doumbek,
Percussion ~ We figure you know who this multi-talented lady is by
now... see her complete bio by clicking on the "About" tab above! Her
musical training has included jazz, rock, folk, and Middle Eastern
music. She co-organizes The Dancing Gypsy Band with her husband
and percussion coach & partner, Brian.

Premjit Talwar ~ Bouzouki, Oud, Percussion ~ Prem is our world
traveller. Originally hailing from Baghdad, Prem came to the US
decades ago, and has been playing Balkan music with the folk dance
band A Different Village for over twenty years. He has also played and
danced with the Eastern European group Mandala Folk Dance
Ensemble. In addition, Prem plays the tambura, doumbek, tupan,
balalaika, and guitar. These days, Prem focuses on playing music from
his native Middle East, Greece, and Turkey.  

Dwayne Green ~ Doumbek, Riq, Frame Drum, Vocals ~ Dwayne
has been playing the Doumbek, Riq, and Frame Drum since the year
2000.  He has been performing Middle Eastern music for local
bellydance events for the past 3 years, and is also active in the SCA
(Society for Creative Anachronism).  He currently teaches Middle
Eastern drumming in southeastern CT for dancers and drummers.

Tery Lemanis ~ Oud, Bouzouki, Saz, Guitar ~ Tery hails from
Boston, MA and comes from a long line of musicians. A graduate of
Berklee College of Music, Tery has studied Byzantine and Greek
music at The Phillipos Nakas Conservatory in Athens, Greece. He is a
faculty member at New School of Music in Cambridge, and teaches
for Plugged In, a teen band program in Needham. Tery is a free-lance
musician as well as a full time member of the world fusion ensemble
Esthema. He has performed with such notable Middle Eastern
musicians as Omar Faruk Tekbilek, Mehmet Ali Sanlikol, Simon
Shaheen, and Charlie Makredes.

Audrey "Rosa" White ~  Violin ~ International performer and
educator Audrey is a graduate of the New England Conservatory of
Music in Boston. She is the Artistic Director of the Worcester Youth
Orchestra, and has been appointed conductor of the Boston City-Wide
String Orchestra. Audrey is also a regular performer with the
Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra, and freelances throughout New
England. She has been a member of the "B'ad Raq Sani Sara
Roadshow Band", an ensemble which has performed in New England
and Pennsylvania. She enjoys deepening her knowledge of the
Middle Eastern repertoire by sitting in with various ensembles. An
occasional arranger and composer, her next work promises to be a
"Middle Eastern Concerto Grosso".


SAMPLE PLAYLIST:

* Al Nadda * Aman Avci * Armut Agaci * Alf Layla wa Layla *
* Aziza * Bent al-Shalabiyah * Bir Demet * Erev Shel Shoshanim *
* Fire Dance * Garoon Garoon * Harmandali * Hava Negila *
* Irota * Layla * Liljano Mome * Lamma Bada * Leylet Hob *
* Meso Pelaga * Miserlou * Nihavent * Nihavent Longa *
* Nihavent Oriental * Nihavent Oyun Havasi * Rampi Rampi *
* Rumelai * Uskudara * Ya Rayah *



SOUND SAMPLE! RAMPI RAMPI AT BIRKA 2010
We are Brian and Dina LeDuke, a husband and wife music and percussion
team, playing and performing together since 2005, shortly after we met.
Brian was a rock-drumming Renaissance man and Dina was the Gypsy
dancer who stole his heart. Together we have formed Ensemble Davuli, a
duet named after the big Davul drum that drives much of Gypsy, Turkish,
and Central Asian music. The word "Davuli"means "drum" in the Balkan
Gypsy dialect ~ and we both enjoy playing the Davul very much ~ so we
named ourselves after the big drum that makes the big sound. Actually, we
play multiple percussion and melody instruments, both ancient and modern;
soon you will hear what we mean on our upcoming CD. We will be bringing
our danceable collection of Middle Eastern, World, and Rock-Fusion
rhythms to you ~ look for our CD debut in Summer 2010!

MORE COMING SOON... STAY TUNED  
This group is more than just The Dancing Gypsy's "house band" ~
though it is officially that too. The Dancing Gypsy Band is a group of
musical friends who found themselves playing at the same
Middle-Eastern-themed events all around the Northeast. We first met
at "Uncle Carmine" Guida's drum workshops and Jalsahs, and then
suddenly realized that we sounded really good playing together. One
day in the spring of 2009, Uncle Carmine said "Hey, why don't we
form a band?" and thereby hangs our tale. Though we live in 3
different states (MA, CT, NY), we do manage to get together and play
our favorite Turkish, Greek, and Arabic songs at various events, and
Carmine always joins us when he's in town. We look forward to many
future gigs together... to book us please email
dina@thedancinggypsy.com  
TROUPE SHIVANI

Troupe Shivani is a collective of experienced bellydancers and
teachers from Massachusetts, gathered under the creative direction of
Dancing Gypsy owner Dina LeDuke. The word "Shivani" refers to
the Indian goddess Parvati in her role as the wife of Shiva, Lord of
the Dance; in this way we hope that our dancing will also be divinely
inspired! Our dance style is a magical brew of Tribal, Folkloric,
Cabaret, and Fusion Bellydance, combined into lively and dramatic
routines that emphasize exotic rhythms and our love of the art of
bellydance. Our dance pieces are a mix of choreography and
improvisation that reflects our spirit of creative collaboration.  We
often associate with people who like to play big, loud drums and
beautiful, dramatic melodies ~ such as The Dancing Gypsy Band and
Ensemble Davuli. Look for us at various events throughout New
England, and of course at Dancing Gypsy haflas!

[Pictured at right, from left to right: Mathura, Dina, Rihana, Nasrin]
TROUPE MEMBERS:

Dina LeDuke ~ Creative Director; Lead Gypsy; Mad Rhythms Lady; PR Specialist.
Dina has been dancing since the age of 4 and bellydancing professionally since the turn of the century. She has an extensive background in Ballet, Jazz,
and Modern dance as well as Cabaret, Tribal, Gypsy, and Fusion bellydance. She has played music and/or danced with members of Turku, Djinn,
Ishtar, and even the classic rock band Jethro Tull. She has studied bellydance with Morocco, Dalia Carella, Amaya, Sabrina, Baraka Mundi, and Aepril
Schaile to name a few, and she describes her eclectic dance style as "Gypsy Fusion". Her performance venues have included colleges, castles, nightclubs,
renaissance faires, and rock concerts. Her bellydance specialty is the sword, and she is also a musician, playing  with The Dancing Gypsy Band and
Ensemble Davuli. In her spare time she does... more of all this!

Rosemary Nolan aka "Rihana" ~ Head Chef and Tribal Fusion Ninja.
Rihana has been dancing, performing, and teaching for over 25 years in a multitude of disciplines: Ballet, Jazz, Modern dance, yoga, and bellydance. She
began her study of bellydance 10 years ago and soon decided to focus exclusively on Tribal Fusion. She has studied with Kami Liddle, Rachel Brice,
Urban Tribal, Mira Betz, Alyssum Pohl, Zafira, and Amy Sigil of Unmata. She has been a member of the troupes Hippy Chix and Ambika Badi'yah
before joining us. She is also an herbalist, gardener, culinary arts teacher, and general bon vivant. She teaches Tribal Fusion classes at The Dancing
Gypsy, where she also sells her handmade herbal soaps, bath salts, and sachets under the trade name "Howe Street Handworks".

Maria O'Connor aka "Mathura" aka "Hennachick" ~ ATS/ITS; Funk; Style Maven.
Mathura has been dancing since the 8th grade, appearing with Jazz dance ensembles and in high school musicals. She went on to explore various dance
styles, such as Modern, Freestyle, and West African dance and drumming. She became enamored of Middle Eastern Dance as a natural complement to
her henna body art business, Ancient Fire Henna. She began taking classes in Cabaret Bellydance with Nancy "Aurora" Rogers, and has since been a
member of several troupes, including the Hippy Chix, Ambika Badi'yah, and Maha Diva. Mathura enjoys all forms of Tribal bellydance, from ATS/ITS
to Fusion, and is inspired by troupes such as The Indigo, Fat Chance Bellydance, Gypsy Caravan, and Urban Gypsy. She aims to inspire other women
to dance, to celebrate their uniqueness through this ancient and beautiful art, and to create community through movement.

JoAnn Adams aka "Nasrin" ~ SCA Ethnic Expert & Candledancer Extraordinnaire.
Nasrin became captivated by bellydance over 14 years ago as a member of the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism). She has since learned much
from several amazing dancers, taught classes to inspire others, and always strives to improve her skills. She is the "daughter" of Safia of the Shifting
Sands, and in 2001 she started dancing with Toupe Nor'Easter Scirocco. She then became troupe leader for Rakassi Kaocob al Ard or "Dancers of the
Earth". She has studied with such notable teachers as Nourhan Sharif and Artemis Mourat, who have informed her style with a mix of Egyptian and
Turkish influences. She is inspired by all the beautiful ladies she has seen dancing over the years, women of all shapes and sizes who revel in the joy of
this enchanting dance. Nasrin is a member of both the Hippy Chix and Troupe Shivani, where she has lots of fun dancing with two fabulous groups of
women!