The music group Dhoad Gypsies of Rajasthan hails from India. Their ancestors came from the province of Rajasthan, the original land of gypsies, itinerant musicians who wandered throughout the wild and beautiful Thar desert from town to town and entertained princes and their courtiers. Dhoad bring a culture handed down from generation to generation from ancient times - arts of fakirs, dancers, poets, snake charmers and musicians. People from various communities and religions come together and jointly celebrate their desert ancestors in an atmosphere of peculiar magic, with a fantastic patchwork of sounds, colours and dances that will transport us beyond the borders of reality. Indians do not demarcate boundaries between individual art disciplines; the Hindi word "sangeet" summarily denotes music, dance and drama. Let us then immerse ourselves in listening to the welcoming of wanderers accompanied by a drum called a "dholak" and set out through the desert to come to know their past. Dhoad Gypsies of Rajasthan had their premiere in the Czech Republic during the Open Arms festival (February 8, National Theatre).

www.dhoad.com

xAuthor: Jana Sustova
Dhoad Gypsies of Rajasthan	Musicians
Fakir Munshi	Dancing on a bed of nails
Fakir	Dancing on broken glass
Fire-eater	Dancer Leela