Jodhpur Flamenco and GypsyFestival: The return of the native

The cajon and the tabla, the guitar and the sarangi, the sensuous moves of the Kalbelia dancers and the gracious swirls of Flamenco… it was not only fusion at its finest but also a homecoming that was 2,000 years in the making as Spanish gypsies matched beat and step with Rajasthani folk artists at Jodhpur's Mehrangarh Fort.The gypsies had returned to the land from where they migrated 2,000 years ago, reaching as far as Europe. And the March 13-15 Jodhpur Flamenco and GypsyFestival — organised by the Mehrangarh Museum Trust and conceptualised by CRN Productions and the largest such event in Asia — was a journey back to the roots.

The sojourn ended in a fiesta that fused east with west, modern with traditional, new with old, and local with global with the likes of Pepe Habichuela, Chano Dominguez and Augustin Carbonell 'El Bola', the pillars of Flamenco, performing with members of the Langha and Kalbelia communities. Their travels influenced the gypsies but strains of their ethnic roots are evident in their music and traditions. So what is common between their music and dance?"The hand movements are very similar," answers Karen Lugo, the internationally acclaimed flamenco dancer. "They resemble not only the gestures of the Kalbelia dancers but also those of Odissi and Kathak," she continues.

The crowds cheered as she danced in tandem with Kalbelia dancers Queen Harish and Asha Sapera, matching vigour, rhythm and sway of hips."We are merging the flamenco and local traditions," says Karni Singh Jasol, director of the Mehrangrah Museum Trust that aims to promote inter-cultural exchange. The result was music that is new.Roberto Nieddu, artistic director of the festival, spent nearly five years conceptualising the event. "The roots of the music are close to each other. The rhythms are similar. Just as we have different ragas for different times of the day in Indian music, there are similar counterparts in flamenco music," he says."The journey of coming back to our roots is really important for the gypsy community," adds Habichuela, one of the original gypsies who helped establish flamenco. "It's a very special feeling to perform here and we feel like we are with our families.""You can see different styles of music in every corner of the world, but with gypsy music there is always a connection. It has evolved and changed over time because of local influences and due to experimentation like what we're doing here.

Each continent has a very different approach to gypsy music, different instruments are used to create different sounds, giving each region a sound of its own," says 'El Bola'.Members of Indialucia, a band that combines flamenco with classical Indian instruments, agree and say that the compositions and melodies are similar.The audience was clearly blown away by the combination. Valeria, who was visiting from Italy and a musician herself, says, "It is very interesting to see these cultural similarities."Michelle D'Souza, a tourist from Mangalore, also felt that the combination worked well. "The fusion of the traditional and the modern is a good experiment. The Langha musicians slow down to accommodate the flamenco artists at times and vice versa," she says.There were roadblocks of course. Langha musicians like Zakir Khan, Sadiq Khan and Ikhlas Khan felt that language was a problem. But then the music took over. "They would teach us at times and we would teach them our styles at other instances. Once we get a hang of the tempo, language barriers fade and the language of music takes over," a musician comments.

The artists jammed for nearly two weeks prior to the event and 50 per cent of the music presented at the festival was brand new. There are differences in the stylings too. While the Kalbelia dancers perform with joy and abandon and the Langha community sings at weddings, gypsy music is tinged with melancholy that echoes the struggles the community has faced. "The local singers' tunes have a sense of freedom and happiness while a sense of melancholy lingers in gypsy music," says Jasol."A new door has opened for gypsies all over the world. Flamenco music has opened up to the world and new kinds of music are being made as we speak," are Habichuela's thoughts about the festival."This is a historical moment. It is important for us to come and perform with the Langha and Kalbelia communities and learn from each other's traditions. The warmth we receive from the Langhas is truly a gift, and I am sure the audience felt it as well. The festival will help to give more importance to both our communities and show to the world that our traditions should continue to grow and evolve," says 'El Bola'.And the music, well, it will play on.

The Jodhpur Flamenco and Gypsy Festival is the first event of its kind in India, but will be an annual feature henceforthThe festival saw performances by 19 international artists from and 25 local artistsThe event is part of the attempt to make Mehrangarh Fort a centre for gypsy research. Academics and enthusiasts will be invited to curate information and conduct research in the futureOrganisers spent nearly five years planning the event