Description
RomArchive Dance Collections- Navigating Identity politics through collective voices and counternarrativesAbstract:
Aiello and Parry (2020) claim that disinformation, especially that spread via digital platforms and media channels, has become a much discussed topic. With such a backdrop, vulnerable communities, such as the Gypsy/Roma/Travellers (GRT) suffer online hate crimes and a dehumanization of the ethnic group is growing. With such programmes like the Channel 4 DISPATCHES – Truth about Traveller Crime (2020), counternarratives are a much needed tactic to diffuse tense realities. Storytelling and oral histories are a key component of the GRT’s cultural heritage traditions. Considering the role and contribution digital technologies make towards supporting and strengthening situated, local, or cultural knowledges and practices, the RomArchive, an online digital Archive created by Roma, curated several sections ranging from social movements, historical timelines to photography and dance. The dance collection was informed throughout by the concept of self-representation along with the need to deconstruct and expose the myths and stereotypes associated with the Romani community. We carefully curated collections that explored Romani dance at the local, national and international level and the interconnections between them. Our subjects included the dances, the dancers, the dance companies and the dance festivals; and our manifold approach to sourcing materials has led to an account of the history of Romani dance largely through the eyes of Romani artists and dancers – one that underscores how the innate knowledge of the body and its movements is reflected in the various Romani dance styles.
| Period | 21 May 2021 |
|---|---|
| Event type | Conference |
| Location | Limerick, IrelandShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | International |
