JÁ ERASMUS
We at JÁ are proud to have been hosts and producers of the C1 stage of the OUR STAGE Erasmus+ project, designed to engage with Rroma youth from Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Greece, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain and enable them to develop skills in the performing arts and crafts, with the final objective of developing a stage for Rroma youth to enact, embody and own their own stories and give voice to their own sense of the human condition.
The project’s main objectives are:
- to promote active roles and participation in the creative sector for youth Romani artists and travelers
- to give youth Rromani people the opportunity to integrate the creative sector labour market
- to train youth Rromani artists and travelers on how to set up performances successfully
- to raise awareness and fight discrimination against Rroma people and specifically youth Rromani artists and travelers
- to boost collaboration between Rroma and non-Rroma and promote social inclusion and elimination of discrimination
- to raise awareness of the rich cultures and beliefs of Gypsy, Rroma, and Traveler communities, and effect change by uplifting empathy in audiences
- to proclaim the cultural identity of Gypsy, Rroma, and Traveler people by celebrating their respective uniqueness and diversity, inspire dialogue and eliminate barriers between communities
- to co-create plays and scripts that will promote the history, culture, customs, and traditions of Rroma people
- to bring together youth Rroma and non-Rroma artists and travelers, to work together and share a diversity of views, knowledge, new ideas and scenarios
The project deliverables labelled “C activities” include 3 modules hosted in 3 different countries – Portugal, the Netherlands and Austria – in sequence.
Each module comprises a one-week intensive training of 40 emerging Rroma artists and technicians from all 7 countries in the host country, with the goal of developing a recorded performance of an original play, devised by the host country, at the end of the week.
The first leg of this module sequence took place in Portugal during the week 16-20 October at the Centro Artes Marvila, Lisbon, generously made available to us by Nelia Pinheiro, the head of the Companhia Dance de Evora, a longtime friend and supporter of JÁ.
As part of this module, artists and technicians were able to realise the full stage execution of the play BLUES MAKETH THE ROAD by Suresh Nampuri, based on real-world ethnographic research on the Rroma in Portugal. The performance incorporated Romski music from the Czech Republic as well as movement and dance elements drawing on the varied strains of Rroma culture that have taken root in the seven countries.
This activity is part of our European Theatre Lab series and reflects our commitment to training the next generation of European artists and storytellers and developing new ways of exploring the art of telling stories that move.
The recorded performance will be part of a film festival in Prague in spring 2024.
The final showcase, a sumptuous celebration of Rromani stories and storytelling, included two performances titled “The Last Sunbeam of Twilight”
Já’s association with the ERASMUS program began in 2019 when we welcomed a young Czech video artist.
Since then we have had several ERASMUS students work with us in Lisbon: