Arts, Culture, Tradition

Core member Balkan Beat Box severely injured

Posted on Jun 11, 2010 Posted by Diana Varbanescu

iraf

Balkan Beat Box’s leader, Tomer, has recently sufferend an accident: he fell from a 2m high stage. Balkan Beat Box performed live at La 7e Vague for an audience of about 8000 fans. During the show, Tomer leaned on a light spot and fell from the stage. After the incident, he was taken to a hospital for close monitoring and medical treatment and he was released the following day. Tomer has suffered severe injuries – rib, leg and shoulder fractures and, in addition, the accident left bruises all over his body. The band had to cancel all their gigs planned in the US in June. Before he is recovedered, the doctors has forbidden any physical effort, so he’ll have to put his drums aside for a while now. BBB is coming to IRAF in Timisoara this July and Tomer should be fully recovered by then.

Festivals

IRAF - International Romani Art Festival 4th edition

Posted on May 17, 2010 Posted by Diana Varbanescu

iraf

Scheduled for July 22nd- 25th 2010 in Timisoara, IRAF is a unique celebration of Roma culture; it brings together artists from 11 countries from around the world, covering diverse cultural fields: music, theatre, film, photography, book, crafts and modern circus.

Just as every year, TURN Cultural Association an attractive line-up to satysfy all tastes, from tradition to the lastest musical experiments from all over the world, many of the artists coming for the first time in Romania.

Having smashed stages in Europe and North America, Balkan Beat Box confirms officially their presence in IRAF this year for Friday, July 23rd. Romania is introduced thus for the first time on the map of the band’s European tour. With a unique sound and a fiery live performance, often compared to a circus, Balkan Beat Box is one of the electro/world sensations of the last three years.

Festivals

Junii Brasovului - Spring Arrival in Transylvania

Posted on Apr 01, 2010 Posted by Stefan Munteanu

Located in central Romania, was founded by the Teutonic Knights in 1211 on an ancient Dacian site and settled by the German colonists known as the Transylvanean Saxons. A very popular Romanian must-do and also a great starting point for day trips to castles (including Dracula Castle), nearby villages, fortresses, medieval fortified churches and mountains.

It’s the first Sunday after the Easter and the medieval center of Brasov is boiling. Thousands of locals and quite a few tourists fill up the narrow streets of the old town, eager to see one of the most impressive festivals of the spring, the Juni’s parade and their ancient customs, passed from one generation to the next.

Festivals

Transylvania Fest – Biertan 30 July - 1 August 2010

Posted on Mar 03, 2010 Posted by Diana Varbanescu

Transylvania Fest is the offspring of Turda Fest, a traditional agricultural festival created in the town of Turda, located 27 kilometers from Cluj, in 2005. The festival name was changed from Turda Fest to Transylvania Fest in 2010 as requests were received from other parts of Romania to replicate the festival. The festival offers a unique multitude of Romanian, Hungarian, Rroma and Saxon experiences to visitors during the three days of the festival originally held yearly during the last week end of September.

Festivals

Past Is Present in Romanian Festivals - part 2

Posted on Feb 20, 2010 Posted by Joyce Dalton

Past is Present in Romanian Festivals - part 1

bear dance If enjoyed reading Past is present in Romanian festivals – part 1, you’ll probably like to hear more about traditional festivals and their staples. A common one is the dance of the bears (the two-legged costumed variety). Along with their Gypsy trainer and a youth beating a tambourine-type instrument, the animals crawl through the crowd. Reaching the center, the bears dance until they fall to the ground, dead. After their hearts are taken by the trainer, they return to life, theoretically, a more gentle one. Even today, more bears exist in Romania’s Carpathian Mountains than any place in Europe and this ancient rite suggests the power of man to tame nature.