Musafir includes musicians, dancers and contortionists along with acrobats, fire-eaters and snake charmers. The group combines traditions that range from Hindu to Persian to Moghol, keeping alive the ancient customs of wandering artists in a whirling array of sound and color.
Hameed Khan, the leader and artistic director of this nomadic caravan, is a tabla player. The tabla, a traditional Indian hand drum, is used in the classical, popular and religious music of northern India. The percussion from this instrument is the base and solid backbone of every song, just as Khan is the backbone of this group of artists. With a background in jazz, Indian classical and Arab music, Khan brought the group together, billing them as "The Gypsies of Rajasthan" and creating a showcase of the Thar Desert's finest musical talents.
This ethnically-diverse group would never be found performing with each other in Rajasthan, but together they create a compelling aesthetic that is at once spiritual as well as sensual. Although the music provides a background for the Sapera dancers and contortionists of Musafir, Khan strives to create a dialogue of movement and rhythm between all elements in the collective's performances, emphasizing the talents of each of his artists physically, audibly and visually.
Over the past five years, Musafir has toured 30 countries on four continents and played over 100 concerts. It is certainly fitting, then, that the name Musafir translates as "traveler," "pilgrimage" or "spiritual journey" in Farsi.
The group was featured in the 1993 film "Latcho Drom," which told the story of the Gypsy migration across Asia and Europe. The movie contained no dialogue and told stories through the song and dance of Musafir.
Musafir's upcoming performance has provoked some excitement.
"Fire eating and snake charming is a little saucy, I can't wait," Maryanna Brown '08 said.
Others seem more interested in broadening their horizons.
"How many times do you get to see snake charmers in a small New England town? Not many, that's for sure," Tyler Frisbee '08 said.
Some students also look to Musafir as a good distraction for parents who will be up for the weekend.
"Gypsies are exciting, so yeah, I'll go. And I'll bring the 'rents if they want to come," Laura Nielsen '08 said.
This step away from the norm provides the weekend with material that Mommy and Daddy Dartmouth might find a little more engaging and entertaining than touring the library for the third time. The Hopkins Center encourages the audience to participate, advertising the performance as "a great outdoor show with lots of opportunity to dance!"
The performance will be moved from the BEMA to Spaulding Auditorium in the case of rain.
