Gypsy Exchange Finale at Notting Hill Arts Club, Sunday 17th April 2011

For something a little different in the area this weekend, why not pop down to the Notting Hill Arts Club on Sunday to watch the Gypsy Exchange Finale? There will be Gypsy music and dance performances, fantastic costumes, superb visuals, interactive jam sessions and a ceilidh, all in celebration of the Romany Gypsy culture.

The Finale is the culmination of a project organised by the London Gypsy Orchestra and the Gypsy band Romany Diamonds, who collaborated to hold a series of music, dance and costume making workshops, in which participants could learn about aspects of Gypsy life and traditions.

The London Gypsy Orchestra is a 45-piece orchestra founded in 2005 – the largest ensemble of its kind in Western Europe – which performs traditional folk and Gypsy music from Eastern Europe and the Balkans. The Romany Diamonds are a London-based Gypsy band, founded by Ricardo Marek Czureja and his son Benjamin, who are originally from Poland. They perform both original Romany music and their own compositions, mixing together Ricardo’s virtuoso violin skills and with Benjamin’s guitar work.

More info can be found at www.gypsyexchange.co.uk.