Voice of Roma presents its 23rd Annual Herdeljezi Festival of Romani ("G*psy") Music and Dance on Friday, May 3 and Saturday May 4 at Berkeley's Ashkenaz Music and Dance Community Center.

The festival program on Friday, May 3 begins at 6pm with a free Romani dance workshop with Sani Rifati, followed by a dialogue with Romani artists and activists, moderated by Prof. Carol Silverman. The evening's main event is an 8pm dance party fueled by live music by Balkan Romani artist-led bands Kel-Mo!, Meraklii featuring Rumen "Sali" Shopov, and Kali Orkestar featuring Benji Rifati and Sal Mamudoski. 

Community workshops in Romani music and dance, led by festival artists, will take place on Saturday, May 4 from 12-5pm. Workshop offerings include percussion with Rumen "Sali" Shopov, strings with Marco Ghezzo, singing with Carol Silverman, accordion with Matthew "Mateo" Tweten, brass and reeds with Benji Rifati and Sal Mamudoski, and mahala dances with Sani Rifati.

VOR was founded in 1996 to organize and promote artistic, educational, and charitable projects for and about Roma, and to raise awareness of human rights issues faced by Roma today. Every Voice of Roma cultural arts event is designed to counter both romanticized and negative stereotypes about "Gypsies" and provide opportunities to learn about the real Romani people and culture.

VOR's Herdeljezi Festival is a community celebration of the spring-summer season. For centuries, Roma have held Herdeljezi outdoors in early May, playing music, dancing, cooking, and feasting with their family and neighbors. Voice of Roma has revived this tradition, which is disappearing in American Romani communities, by inviting the larger community to participate, with the goal of preserving and supporting Romani cultural traditions; promoting and presenting Romani cultural arts and folk traditions authentically, respectfully, and within their cultural context.

Herdeljezi is supported by a Berkeley Civic Arts Festivals grant.