Brooklyn Gypsies
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    • Oye Avant-garde Night
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It Happened at The Palladium

7/26/2016

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A sold out show. A line around the block. An unforgettable night.
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We re-lived the turbulent 60's....

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Grooved to the funk of the 70's...

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Survived the buck wild 80's....

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Reinvented ourselves in the 90's....

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And were re-born in a modern era...

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-all in one incredible night-

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Three-hundred plus New Yorkers witnessed magic on July 14, 2016 when Brooklyn Gypsies created a party that captured the beautiful spirit of the NYC art scene, combining generations, bridging across race and cultures, reliving our history in a celebration of creativity and community.
All photos by Shun Takino

WATCH THE OFFICIAL RECAP VIDEO BELOW

Want to come to the next Palladium event?
Sign Up for the Brooklyn Gypsies Newsletter!

BKG SPOTLIGHT:

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Artem Yatsunov

-Brooklyn Gypsies General Manager-
"Artem is an awesome collaborator and a great director. You saw his work shine on stage at The Palladium"
-BKG Founder Modesto "Flako" Jimenez
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"Artem is relentless in his pursuit to make Brooklyn Gypsies a better company... Whether he is on the stage, in the director's chair, or coordinating the team to meet our goals.... Brooklyn Gypsies is lucky to have him"
- Nick E Finn

 Follow Artem on Social Media:
HERE
Watch Artem destroy the mic at Ghetto Hors D'oevures: COLORS

Coming Up Next...

Brooklyn Gypsies Harlem Turn Up!

Aint no party like a Brooklyn Gypsies party!

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Mark your calendars, get your tickets, and grab a date because there are less than 40 spots available to join Brooklyn Gypsies at this soon-to-be-legendary summer turn up.
BUY YOUR TICKETS HERE
Come kick it with the Brooklyn Gypsies in the backyard of our humble Harlem "mansion” this summer with drinks, beats, and some of the city's most top-notch spoken word performers!

This exclusive Brooklyn Gypsies get-down will feature poetry and rap performances from “the best” of our signature Ghetto Hors D'ouevres Festival series.

Enjoy an ice-cold beer under the stars and a hot pastelillo as you dance to the sounds of DJ Andre Mayes and beat-master Lateef Dameer who will keep the party rocking in between show-stopping performances by some of NYC’s top wordsmiths.
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Ghetto Hors D'oeuvres: COLORS - In Their Own Words

6/4/2016

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Ghetto Hor D'oeuvres: COLORS was not just a show...

COLORS IS A HOME

"I felt incredibly encouraged to express myself entirely as I wanted to and I felt a sense of fullness in doing so. Most importantly, the pieces that were showcased started topical, energized conversations that kept people in the space long after the show had ended!"
- Bay Bryan

COLORS IS A DREAM

"Art, much like the human spirit, cannot live in a box, or a bubble; COLORS is a fine example of what happens when this idea is executed correctly."
- Joel Daniels

COLORS IS THE ISSUES

COLORS allowed me to talk about gentrification on a stage in a gentrified block. It doesn't get more real than that. The amount of preparation and process that went into the production of COLORS was very visible on that stage with artists bleeding their very own COLORS through their stories, experiences and personal narratives in Brooklyn.
-Elisabet Velasquez

COLORS IS AN ADVENTURE

My experience was fantastic because i am a firm believer that the day is not complete until one learns new things. I learned how to have fun with my words and my performance. I was able to step out of shell and take my audience on a ride. 
-Eric Acevedo

COLORS IS PROCESS

  The way that the musical and lighting crews were able to connect to my piece and enhance it was incredible. Working with the other poets was surreal.  I was touched by so many soulful expressions that I would not have otherwise come across and I made some very cool new friends.
-Nessa Acevedo
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COLORS IS A LIFESTYLE

We reminisced and created within the context of shared experience even though we had never met before! If that doesn't exhibit how art brings strangers together! I'm so grateful for the opportunity to participate, to listen and learn from all of these beautiful talented people. What a gorgeous way to live.
-Jani Rose

COLORS IS A GATEWAY

My COLORS experience was surreal. The diversity of performers really stood out to me. The talent and collective energy assembled was fantastic. I've always been a avid theatre buff and to be able to see, firsthand, what really goes into a production was truly an amazing and humbling experience.
-Sergio Rosario
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COLORS IS BROOKLYN

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BROOKLYN GYPSIES SPOTLIGHT:

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"The best part of this experience is being able to make art with people who truly care about their craft and the world around them." - Lateef
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LATEEF DAMEER
 -SOUND DESIGNER-

"I first met (BKG Founder) Flako by chance a few years ago at a mutual friend's birthday party. One day we decided to kick it and it's been a wild ride ever since! -Lateef
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Photo's by Radio Silence & Shun Takino
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MEET KEVIN TORRES - VISUAL DESIGNER

2/25/2016

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THE MAN BEHIND THE VISUALS...
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Born and raised in Jersey City, NJ, Kevin attended New Jersey City University where he began working with video production/editing and photography.  After interning for two years at The ICU Lab in the Bronx, he ventured out creating his own production of music videos and shorts.  ​

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His last documentary short
"A Man, A Horse" won third place at the NJ Young Film Festival and also screened at the Katra Film Series in August of 2015.WATCH IT HERE.
"In a time where the sense of community is at a constant decay, Brooklyn Gypsies fights the current to keep this alive.  Quick look at any production or program we do and you see that common thread of bringing people closer together."
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"I am proud to be creating experiences/memories for audience members and bringing tough conversation topics to the forefront through entertainment. "
"We are always discovering new ways to incorporate technology
​into theater productions and education."
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FOLLOW KEVIN ON INSTAGRAM @specs_visuals
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UPCOMING PRODUCTIONS
IN THE GYPSY FAMILY....

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JERSEY CITY STAND UP! 

Brooklyn Gypsies' kick ass beat maker Lateef Dameer and DJ Andre Mayes are at it again... The dope artists behind the audio at Ghetto Hors D'oeuvres join forces with Adam Lomeo at Iris Records - JC, NJ.  Friday March 4..
Oh... and it's FREE!
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THE FULL CIRCLE ENSEMBLE RETURNS...

 Brooklyn Gypsies Poets Corner Coordinator Mariela Regalado performs alongside 20+ other poets in MISCONCEPTIONS TOO
at The National Black Theatre in Harlem
Tickets on sale HERE
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A FESTIVAL GROWS IN BROOKLYN

1/15/2016

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Brooklyn Gypsies presents the inaugural...
One Catches Light Festival 

Three solo-shows ...

​"How do you know if you know a woman who's survived abuse? "

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Three solo performers...

"Celebrate everyone who has ever felt - even a little bit - queer at heart"

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One stage...

"Capture a specific time and place in American history"
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​Meet the artists...

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Bay Bryan

Is a Colorado-born Scotland- trained, and Manhattan-based performance artist & singer-songwriter. Recently he opened for Horse McDonald at Dundee Rep Theater (Scotland) just shortly after a run of True Believer at Theater Lab (NYC). His current move into solo-performance/devised theater is a product of his desire to find a medium where all his passions can intertwine.
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Nick E Finn

Is an Irish-American poet, playwright, and actor from Seattle, WA. Nick has featured his signature blend of poetry, Hi-Hop, and theatre at The Bushwick Starr, Apartment 78, The National Black Theatre, and The Nuyorican Poet’s Café.  Nick trained as an actor at Wynn Handman Studios. Nick proudly represents Brooklyn as his adopted home!
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Colie McClellan

Is a recent graduate of the MFA Acting program at Rutgers and an alumna of the College of Charleston. In NYC, she has worked with the League of Professional Theatre Women and the Women in the Arts & Media Coalition in women’s arts advocacy. Outside of the acting, and activism, Colie enjoys spending time with her family in South Carolina.
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JAN 28-30
ALL THREE SHOWS PERFORM EVERY NIGHT
$15 for 1 show 
$20 for all 3 shows
Doors at 7pm
Advanced Tickets on sale at HERE
JACK is located at 505 1/2 Waverly Ave, Brooklyn NY 11238 between Fulton St. and Atlantic Ave. in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn.  15-minute walk from BAM or the Barclay's Center. 

Brooklyn Gypsy Spotlight

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"Brooklyn Gypsies is a hub that allows you to be surrounded by uniquely authentic souls who radiate passion towards their craft. Its great to see artists, feed off each other, inspire one another, and just vibe!"
- Mariela

Mariela Regalado
Poet's Corner Coordinator

Mariela Regalado was born in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic and raised in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. She was inspired by her 7th grade ELA teacher to write. By day she works as a College Counselor, helping to change the landscape for students of color attending institutions of higher learning. She loves working with the youth, and currently co-facilitates poetry workshops with “Brooklyn Gypsies” at the Brooklyn Public Library for teens to unlock their creativity.
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Coming Up On The Block

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@THE BRICK 
575 Metropolitan Ave, BK, NY
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Theban Plays
is a contemporary performance based on Sophocles' Oedipus Cycle. The performance focuses on the themes embodied by three characters in the ancient dramas – Oedipus, Jocasta, and Antigone.

Created through a long-term process of video improvisation, Theban Plays seeks to find the place where the themes of Sophocles' drama resonate in the lives of the ensemble and those around us living in New York City in 2016. The performers each create a unique and distinct theatrical world using live webcast (Oedipus), sound installation and live painting (Jocasta), and Super 8mm films (Antigone), while directly engaging the audience in conversation.

Thur. Jan. 21-Sat Jan. 23 @ 8pm (previewThursday)
Wed. Jan. 27-Sat Jan. 30 @ 8pm

TICKETS:
 https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/954404
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December 31st, 2015

12/31/2015

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What did BROOKLYN GYPSIES do in 2015...?

"ALL WE KNOW IS TWERK..." -Modesto "Flako" Jimenez

We put on for our BROOKLYN COMMUNITY...

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We opened doors for EMERGING ARTISTS...
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We sparked discussion about
ISSUES
THAT MATTER...

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We came together AS A TEAM...

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We MADE HISTORY by bringing the first-ever entirely Spanish-language play to BUSHWICK, BROOKLYN

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JUST WAIT and see what BROOKLYN GYPSIES has in store for 2016....

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THANK YOU

FOR AN AMAZING AND BLESSED 2015. WE ARE ONE.

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THE BLOCK IS TALKING ABOUT YOLEROS

11/21/2015

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di·as·po·ra  - noun: the dispersion of any people from their original homeland.

​"We are all yoleros… looking for that new beginning. " – Alex Vásquez Escaño
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YOLEROS
Thursday, December 17 - 8pm
Friday, December 18 - 8pm
Saturday, December 19 - 8pm

The Bushwick Starr Theatre
(207 Starr Street - BK, NY)
Tickets are $18.00 at the door and $15 in advance atwww.thebushwickstarr.org

HOLA-award winning Spanish-language play is coming to The Bushwick Starr

Right now, immigration is the hot-button issue in America. All day long, talking heads spew out rhetoric on TV. Politicians argue for our votes. News programs flash out-of-focus pictures of border crossings and weave boogey-man narratives about foreigners coming to take American jobs and destroy our way of life. More often than not, the immigrant is portrayed as a faceless character – the Rorschach manifestation of America’s xenophobic imagination. ​
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Left-wing pundits respond with the cliché, “We are a nation of immigrants.” While perhaps well intentioned, this phrase is both inaccurate and equally dehumanizing. More accurately, we are a nation of diasporic peoples. Referring to America as “a nation of immigrants” disrespects those who came to this country because they had no other choice. Slaves and their descendants are not immigrants. Political and religious refugees are not immigrants. Victims of extreme poverty and global inequality are not immigrants. These are people who have been displaced – for many different reasons. Fetishizing the immigrant experience strips these individuals of their humanity and the power of their individual stories.
Growing up in the Dominican Republic, writer Alex Vásquez Escaño heard about people taking “yolas” -- tiny boats used to ferry Dominicans across the Mona Passage to Puerto Rico. This dangerous journey became the inspiration for Yoleros. Yoleros tells the story of three Dominicans, Maximo, Demecio, and Dinora who risk their lives to sail for America in order to escape a reality with no future. Vásquez Escaño explains, “I was trying to write an honest story about people who go through these challenges…. I feel that many times we dismiss them because of how they go about looking for this new beginning without understanding the factors that push them in the first place.” For director, Martin Balmaceda, Yoleros "is very important, especially for those who decide to emigrate and leave their countries to find a new beginning."
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Fresh off winning a 2015 HOLA Award for Best Ensemble Cast, audiences eagerly await Yoleros’ return December 17-19 at The Bushwick Starr Theater.  Supporters of Latino theatre are excited to see such a relevant project coming to Brooklyn’s Spanish-speaking diasporic community. However, Yoleros needs your help. Vásquez Escaño produced Yoleros independently in March of this year through his production company Teatrica without the support of a grant or theatre organization. ​
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NOW it’s OUR turn and Brooklyn Gypsies and The Bushwick Starr are bringing it to BUSHWICK BROOKLYN.  Without proper funding for props, costumes, set-design, promotion, and technical equipment Yoleros cannot happen. In the words of Vásquez Escaño, “We are all yoleros. We all, at some point of our lives, look for that new beginning.” This is your chance to help Latino artists achieve a new beginning by bringing truth to their stories and our diasporic community.  WATCH OUR VIDEO and support  both by contributing online and in the audience December 17-19 at The Bushwick Starr. See you there!

GYPSY SPOTLIGHT

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Olander
"BIG O." Wilson
Follow Big O on social media HERE
Olander “Big O” Wilson is a actor, stand up comedian, and stage manager from Lake City, South Carolina. Big O graduated from USC with a Bachelor's in Theatre and Public Relations. His favorite credits include Yellowman, The Lost and Blue Bloods. In May 2014, he took his talents to NYC with $50 in his pocket and a dream. After his side-splitting performance in Ghetto Hors D'oeuvres: Borders Collide, Big O joined the Brooklyn Gypsies family as full-time team member. Working both on and off-stage for the company, in 2016, Big O will stage manage Nick E Finn’s debut one-man-show “The Last Hipster in Brooklyn” and BG’s Conversation Part 2: Latino.

COMING UP SOON ON THE BLOCK

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CATCH FESTIVAL
"The Last Hipster in Brooklyn"
by Nick E Finn

JOIN US HERE
CATCH FESTIVAL  - Saturday November 21 - Brooklyn Gypsy Nick E Finn showcases a selection from his one-man-show “The Last Hipster in Brooklyn,” alongside performances by 600 Highwaymen, Laura Bartczak, Allison Brainard, Charlotte Brathwaite, and many more!

Catch is the Brooklyn-based, Obie award-winning, hydra-headed, series of performance events curated with reckless delicacy by Jeff Larson, Caleb Hammons and Andrew Dinwiddie.

The Invisible Dog Art Center  (51 Bergen St, Brooklyn, New York 11201) -  8PM - $15 at the door ​
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BORDERS COLLIDE: Let's Start The Conversation

11/4/2015

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gyp·sy
ˈjipsē/ a nomadic or free-spirited person.
​“We are never going to survive if we do not talk to each other”
-Modesto “Flako” Jimenez
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In 2015, Brooklyn is topsy-turvy - on its head – in the middle of what some might call an identity crisis. Gentrification in New York City and in other urban areas all over America is being waged at the expense of local communities. There’s a war going on no Brooklynite with a conscious is safe from. And in the words of the great Greek philosopher Aeschylus, “When war is declared, truth is always the first casualty.”
 
As artists, we are Brooklyn’s first line of defense. Artists are the keepers of truth. Pablo Picasso famously said, “We all know that Art is not truth. Art is a lie that makes us realize truth, at least the truth that is given us to understand.” Let us start painting the truth about our beloved borough instead of living in the oversimplified narratives that we have been given. We have to tell our own stories. 
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Nationally, the discourse about Brooklyn would have us believe one of two things: Brooklyn is either a twenty-first century utopia of urban living or Brooklyn is as a soulless zombie with a shattered identity. Neither is the case. The injustices and challenges Brooklyn faces in the age of gentrification are tremendous and urgent. But we are not dead. We are not rolling over. Brooklyn’s heart is still beating. Now is the time we must start the conversation – about who we are, what is really going on, and as a community, where we want to go. 
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Ghetto Hors D’oeuvres is an annual Brooklyn Gypsies festival in which up-and-coming poets and rappers share a stage to bare their truth around a unifying subject. This year’s topic: Borders Collide. Last month, in front of three packed crowds at JACK Performing Arts Center, 20+ NYC poets and rappers, both native and immigrant, took the stage. In between catered Hors D'oeurves and a live DJ set by Andre Mayes, each artist shared their personal truth about Brooklyn’s colliding borders. The spectacle that followed was nothing short of breathtaking.
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As the final artist of the evening Nick E Finn concluded his performance, all of the show’s participants returned to the stage and stood together. Brooklyn Gypsies founder Modesto “Flako” Jimenez joined the performers in a symbol of unity and closed the show with a call for dialogue. Flako reminded all the performers and audience members in attendance, “We are never going to survive if we do not talk to each other.”
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While the history of Brooklyn is as turbulent as it is storied, the future of our beloved borough is far from written. It rests squarely in the hands of those who are willing fight for its truth. Webster defines gypsy as: a nomadic or free-spirited person. As Brooklyn Gypsies, as artists, we are inherently nomads. We are inherently free-spirited. We are obligated to open our minds and reach out across lines of difference to initiate conversation. Without dialogue, without truth, without justice, and voice, we abdicate our power to others who will tell our story for us. Ghetto Hors D’oeuvres 2015 was an amazing step forward in reclaiming that power.

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2015 Borders Collide Performers: Thomas Fucaloro, Price PreemO, 730 Jim, Cindy "Black Angel" Peralta, MINISKIRT, Jason Koo, Starr Bubsy, Joel, Raven Jackson, Duece Blahka, Amber West, Parker, Mariela Regalado, Big O, Billionz, Nick E Finn, and Escher
 The next Ghetto Hors D’oeuvres, GHETTO HORS D’OEUVRES: ODETTA RAICES will take place June 3-5, 2016 at The Bushwick Starr. 
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    GYPSY:  A free-spirited or nomadic person

    Here is what the Brooklyn Gypsies are talking about on the block!

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