Ready, set, Zoom: India gypsy dancers take their art onlineKalbeliya gypsy dancer Aasha Sapera practices before hosting online dance classes in Jodhpur, IndiaJODHPUR (INDIA) - As a blackout plunged her desert dwelling into darkness, Suwa Devi, a dancer belonging to India's Kalbeliya gypsy community, asked her neighbour to turn on his jeep's headlights so she could continue teaching her Zoom class, outside. Lessons would often get cancelled because the connection was terrible," said Sapera, whose students span the globe from Japan to Brazil. They were also intimidated", said Belgian anthropologist Ayla Joncheere, one of the co-founders of Kalbeliya World, describing the dancers' initial response to the idea. The group's success has prompted other Kalbeliya dancers to follow in their footsteps, but with mixed results. Online classes, and the global reach they offer, could expand those possibilities, with Kalbeliya World planning to continue hosting lessons long after pandemic restrictions are relaxed.

Source: Bangkok Post August 30, 2020 05:15 UTC