Reyhan and Hüsnü Tuzsuz: Original Turkish Romani Ensemble

Masters of Turkish Romani music and dance - biography and discography

Reyhan Tuzsuz (dancer, teacher) and husband Hüsnü Tuzsuz (violinist, teacher) are outstanding examples of a non-commercial, traditional form of Istanbul Romani (“Gypsy”) music and dance. Several US citizens who were interested in learning Turkish Romani musical styles had traveled specifically to Istanbul, Turkey, to study with Mr. and Mrs. Tuzsuz, studying for several months to a year, with repeated visits.

Mrs. Reyhan Tuzsuz is an outstanding proponent of Romani dance style, and culturally unique for her ability to teach Romani dance. Here it is necessary to underline the difference between staged dance and the kind of dance that Mrs. Tuzsuz teaches. Romani stage dance has developed out of a complex of nightclub and professional entertainment styles, and there are many teachers who perform and teach versions of this style to foreigners. However, Mrs. Tuzsuz is highly valued within her own community for her command of non-professional dance as performed by women in their own celebratory contexts. Roma female non-professional dance involves a wealth of subtle movements and gestures that are only known within the community, and are not performed on the stage. Rather, such movements are used to encode various social statements, self-positioning and playful responses to community members that are understood only within the community. This style is roughly equivalent to what might be considered folk dance, as it is performed without conscious staging, and used as a means for personal expression in the context of Romani ritual celebrations. Mrs. Tuzsuz’ talent is such that she is frequently called upon to dance without payment for other Roma women at community celebrations. This is high praise indeed, as Roma women are quite competent dancers and are often very critical of others. Mrs. Tuzsuz is not only an expert on executing in-community dance style, but is unusually gifted in being able to convey these movements, explain their meaning, and teach them to non-Roma women. She has been teaching Roman dance since 2001, and she communicates in English.

Mr. Hüsnü Tuzsuz, Reyhan’s husband, is a well-respected local violinist active in the restaurant and wedding circuit in Istanbul. Here it is important to note that most professional musical services are provided by Roma or “Gypsy” musicians in Turkey, and the majority of these artists are trained within long lineages of professional musician families. Mr. Tuzsuz family is typical, in that Hüsnü was trained by his father, and began to play professionally at an early age. Since 2001, he has taught numerous Romani violin style and repertoire to several US violinists who traveled specifically to Istanbul to study with Mr. Tuzsuz. Fully employed as a musician, Hüsnü performs three nights a week at Wonderland Cafe in Istanbul since 2010.

Discography - Both artists have been recorded on an instructional dance dvd, Raw Roman: Turkish Gypsy Dance (2011) produced by David Reihs (http://www.dhavir.com/shop/product.php?id_product=44) and an accompanying cd of musical examples, Raw Roman: Turkish Gypsy Dance (2011) performed by Hüsnü Tuzsuz and friends (see http://www.dhavir.com/shop/product.php?id_product=49).

International tours and workshops – selections

2013 “Rakkas” Istanbul Dance Festival April 29 – May 3.

2013 Workshops and Performances in Japan February 24 – March 8.

2012 Workshops at Tarazade, 1^st International Oriental Dance Festival. Istanbul, Turkey. September 1-5.

2011 Workshops at Turkish Delight Festival. Istanbul, Turkey. April 28 – May 1.

2008 Performance and workshops at Herdelezi Festival, organized by the World Music Folklife Center. Baltimore, Washington, DC. May 17.

2007 Performance and workshops at Herdelezi Festival, organized by the World Music Folklife Center. Baltimore, Washington, DC. April 21.

2007 Workshops at Music and Dance Study tour to Istanbul organized by Helene Eriksen and Sinan Erdemsel. Istanbul, Turkey. April 11-20.

2007 Workshops at Folk Tours Middle Eastern Music and Dance. Istanbul, Turkey.

2013 Tour - Their 2013 tour will combine performances, educational talks, workshops, and a one-week residency at the University of Texas, Austin. Reyhan and Hüsnü Tuzsuz tour will be sponsored by Voice of Roma, a non-profit 501c arts and organization that organizes workshops, concerts, panel talks and fund raising for Romani communities in Kosovo and Southeastern Europe. What is unusual about this organization is the high degree of active involvement by Romani community members in running this organization, led by formerly displaced Kosovo Rom, Sani Rifati. Their work can be viewed on: http://www.voiceofroma.com. Their international airfare is covered by Trust for Mutual Understanding, a granting agency that seeks to provide connections and education about marginalized groups.

Tuzsuz residency will be planned to extend recognition of Roma world-wide for Romani Culture Month: International Roma Day April 6^th in California; a tour to Oregon with guest lectures and workshops at the University of Oregon and in Portland; one-week residency at the University of Texas, Austin which will include workshops, talks, lecture – demonstrations, culminating in a staged performance of Turkish Romani wedding music and dance with UT Middle Eastern Ensemble, Bereket on April 20^th in Bates Auditorium.