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The rehearsals took place against the backdrop of a caustic presidential campaign that amplified an ongoing debate about immigration, ethnic profiling and tribalism in the U.S. and Europe. That Capossela and the 75 dancers under her tutelage were practicing steps inspired by the Romany people — long a marginalized group — lent their work an extra dimension.
On Saturday night, on the stage of the Lebanon Opera House, “They Called Us Gypsies” will greet an audience still coming to grips with a new era in Western democracy.
“This show celebrates diversity,” Capossela, a South Royalton resident, said last week. “It is well-timed. The way the show came together thematically is the greatest evidence of the divine at work. … We’re taking some cultures that people here don’t know about, looking at the issue of discrimination and oppression of people who aren’t as populous here in the United States as they are in Europe and Africa, where they’re facing widespread discrimination.
“We can talk about racism with a little more safety, a greater sense of open-mindedness.”
Not that this show, featuring dancers ranging in age from 8 to the late 60s, aims to preach so much as to live up to the translation of Raqs Salaam from the Arabic: “dances of peace and greetings.”
“It’s not just a performance group,” Capossela said. “We also promote an ethic of respect and celebration.”
In this show, they’re celebrating the cultural and artistic impact of the Romany people, who migrated from India more than a millennium ago, and whose worldwide population is estimated at between 1 million and 2 million.
A graduate of Middlebury College, Capossela began exploring and teaching the dance traditions of the Middle East and the Mediterranean while doing social work with a variety of Upper Valley agencies, including Headrest and Child and Family Services. After collecting a master’s degree in dance in 2003, she gradually found more fulfillment in teaching, and dove in full time about 10 years ago.
“When I made the switch, it was before the recession and there was a lot of momentum,” Capossela recalled. “And even during the recession, people who needed an outlet chose dance. When you learn to dance, you learn to control the destiny of your own body. Especially for women, you come to love the skin you’re in. … We’re appreciative of all ages, shapes, sizes and ability levels. So many people go into dance thinking that they need to look like Shakira and move like Shakira, and they learn that they don’t. Dance is for all people, not just thin people, flexible people, people who learn the most quickly. There’s a place for all of them.”
Enough women were taking classes with Capossela by 2005 that she staged the first Raqs Salaam showcase with 27 dancers at the Woodstock Town Hall Theatre.
“We sold out for several years at Pentangle,” Capossela recalled. “After five years I thought, ‘Why not look for a bigger theater?’ This will be our seventh year at the opera house.”
And in a world full of refugees and marginalized populations and misunderstanding running to xenophobia, Capossela is hoping that audiences come to the opera house with open minds.
“A lot of people are frustrated with the current political climate,” she said. “People are really afraid about what’s going on in the world, with good reason.
“We have to focus on concrete steps we can take.”
Gina Capossela and her Raqs Salaam Dance Theater host their 12th annual showcase of Middle Eastern and American belly dancing on Saturday night at 7:30 at the Lebanon Opera House. For tickets ($25 to $30), visit lebanonoperahouse.org or call 603-448-0400 or visit the box office in City Hall.
Guitarist Tom Pirozzoli leads guitarist/dobro player Kit Creeger and guitarist Gerry Putnam into the Flying Goose Brewpub and Grille tonight at 8, to perform a benefit concert for the YMCA’s Camp Coniston in Croydon. Also joining in will be singers Kathy Lowe and Clint Horning. To reserve tickets ($15) and learn more, visit flyinggoose.com or call 603-526-6899.
Students and teachers from Woodstock Union High School share stories on the subject of “First Time” during the monthly Branch Out Teen Night on Friday at the ArtisTree Community Center for the Arts in South Pomfret. Teen Night begins at 6 with a session of “Black Out Poetry” and an exhibit of glow-in-the-dark paintings. The story slam runs from 8 to 9:45. Admission is free to all teens. To learn more, visit artistreevt.org.
Stuart Ross and The Temp Agency celebrate the release of their debut album, Wandering in the Wild, with a concert of its Americana, folk and jazz-influenced rhythms and storytelling on Friday night at the Main Street Museum in White River Junction. Admission to the show, which starts at 8, is $10. The ensemble comprises lead singer-songwriter Stuart Ross Johnson of Lebanon on guitar and ukelele, singer Danielle Conerty of Etna on trombone and ukelele, Jared Oren of West Lebanon on violin, viola and backup vocals, Michael Conerty of Etna on trumpet, bass and backup vocals, Andy Wyatt of Windsor on bass and backup vocals and Warren Smith of Norwich on drums. To learn more, visit stuartrossjohnson.com or the Facebook page for Stuart Ross and The Temp Agency.
The Cameo Baroque ensemble of Ernie Drown on harpsichord, Beth Hilgartner on recorder and Leslie Stroud on traverso flute performs works of Handel, Schaffrath, Naudot, Graun and Pitzholdt at St. James Church in Woodstock on Saturday afternoon at 3. While admission is free, donations to the Vermont Foodbank are welcome.
The nine-member Beantown Swing Orchestra plays the first monthly Corinth Coffeehouse show of the new season at Corinth Town Hall on Saturday night at 7. Donations will benefit The Mentoring Project of the Upper Valley.
The Barnyard Incident plays bluegrass during Court Street Arts’ Brunch Beat at Alumni Hall in Haverhill on Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is $14 for Court Street members and $16 for others. To learn more, visit alumnihall.org or call 603-989-5500.
Dave Wysocki conducts the Upper Valley Music Center Chamber Orchestra through Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8 in F Major and Brahms’ Variations on a Theme by Haydn on Sunday afternoon at 3, at Hanover’s Richmond Middle School. Admission is $10 for adults. To learn more, visit uvmusic.org or call 603-448-1642.
Celia Woodsmith will introduce her new rock and Americana ensemble Woodsmith & Hersch to her native Upper Valley with a Nov. 25 performance at the Briggs Opera House in White River Junction. The music starts at 8 p.m. For tickets ($20) and more information, visit yellowhousemedia.com.
JAG Productions wraps its three-weekend run of Choir Boy with performances at the Briggs Opera House in White River Junction at 7:30 tonight and Friday night, at 2 in the afternoon and 7:30 at night on Saturday and the finale on Sunday afternoon at 5. For tickets ($18 to $30), call 802-457-3500 or visit artistreevt.org.
Northern Stage ushers in the yuletide season with preview performances of A Christmas Carol at 7:30 tonight and Friday night before the grand opening show at 7:30 Saturday night at the Barrette Center for the Arts in White River Junction at 7:30. Subsequent performances over the coming week are scheduled for Sunday afternoon at 2, Tuesday morning at 11, Tuesday night at 7:30 and Wednesday night at 7:30. Peter Hackett directs the Michael Wilson adaptation through Dec. 24. For tickets ($20 for Tuesday night’s show, which is close to sold out, $14 to $54 for all other performances) and more information, visit northernstage.org or call 802-296-7000.
The Swing Peepers duo shares its repertoire of “earth-friendly and interactive songs and stories” at ArtisTree Community Center for the Arts in South Pomfret on Saturday morning at 10. Free admission.
Jim and Ruth Strout host an acoustic music jam at the Clifford Memorial Building in Woodsville on Sunday from noon to 4. Admission is $3 for spectators. Musicians are welcome to join in the session of country and bluegrass as long as they bring no drums or horns. In the event of bad weather, call 603-747-2839 to learn if the jam is still on. Subsequent sessions are scheduled for Dec. 4 and 18.
Vermont Public Television broadcasts Sabra, the documentary that Dartmouth film professor Bill Phillips crafted in 2015 about acclaimed East Barnard printmaker Sabra Field, 13 times over the coming month.
On the network’s regular VPBS station, the movie debuts tonight at 8, with several screenings through Wednesday night at 9. Broadcasts on VPBS-Plus begin Monday night at 8 and conclude at 3 p.m. on Dec. 13. For the full schedule, visit vermontpbs.org/show/22145/0.
Tango Norte demonstrates the milonga style of tango and then leads a dance at ArtisTree Community Center for the Arts in South Pomfret on Sunday afternoon. The lesson starts at 3 and the dance begins at 4. The lesson costs $10, a ticket to the dance is $15 a person, and admission to both events costs $22. To learn more, visit artistreevt.org.
Soulfix performs at the Lyme Inn tonight from 6:30 to 9:30.
Pianist Jonathan Kaplan commands the keyboard at the Canoe Club in Hanover starting at 6:30 tonight. Appearing at the club over the coming week with shows from 6:30 to 9:30 are pianist Randall Mullen on Friday, jazz singer Rowley Hazard on Sunday, pianist Gillian Joy on Tuesday and guitarist Ted Mortimer on Wednesday.
John Lackard sings and plays the blues at Bentley’s Restaurant in Woodstock tonight at 7, followed on Saturday night at 7 by pianist Jamie Ward and on Wednesday night at 8 by The Gully Boys.
The Shugarmakers pull into Windsor Station tonight at 7 for a set of Americana music, followed on Friday night at 9:30 by the experimental rockers of Gowanus. The central Vermont rock band Coquette plays Saturday night at 9:30 and the folk-rock duo Ruby Street on Tuesday night at 6.
Singer-songwriter Rick Clogston performs at Jesse’s Restaurant in Hanover on Friday night at 5.
Singer-pianist Bob Merrill and bassist Peter Concilio fill Windsor’s SILO Distillery with jazz rhythms on Friday night from 5:30 to 7:30.
The weekend lineup at Salt hill Pub in Lebanon features Flew-Z on Friday night at 8 and About Gladys at the same time on Saturday.
Stepping to the mic for 8 p.m. shows at the Hanover Salt hill are Josh Gerrish with a mix of country-western and rock on Friday and the Dave Clark Trio with a set of rock on Saturday.
Turner Round rocks the Newport Salt hill on Friday night at 8, followed Saturday night at the same hour by Tirade with a set of alternative rock.
Singer-guitarist David Greenfield plays a wide variety of acoutsic music in the tavern of the Colatina Exit in Bradford on Friday night from 7 to 10.
Greg Hall & The Barnhouse Band share their blend of folk, country and bluegrass at the Skinny Pancake in Hanover on Friday night starting at 8.
The Stone Cold Roosters set the rhythm for dancing at Skunk Hollow Tavern in Hartland Four Corners on Friday night at 9.
Folk singer Joice Marie plays at the Stone Arch Bakery in Lebanon on Saturday between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Royalton singer-songwriter Alison “AliT” Turner joins Soulfix at the Farmer’s Table in Grantham on Saturday night between 7 and 10.
Bow Thayer plays his weekly set of Americana at the Skinny Pancake on Wednesday night at 7:30.
Ramunto’s Brick & Brew Pizza in Bridgewater hosts an open mic at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays. Participants get a free large cheese pizza.
String players of all ages and abilities are welcome at the weekly acoustic jam session at South Royalton’s BALE Commons on Friday night from 6:30 to 10.
Joe Stallsmith leads a weekly hootenanny of Americana, folk and bluegrass at Salt hill Pub in Hanover on Monday nights starting at 6.