Barbara Halpern's field notes from 1954 read: "I could hear the beat of the tupan, the big Yugoslav/Bulgarian/Greek-type drum long before the half hour walk to the village and eventually I found Joel [Halpern], the French girl and the photographer (Drnkov) in the mob. Men (young men) mostly in city clothes hopped and pranced and jumped and seemed to be getting something out of their system, the way they moved (dancing the Oro). Later, three young men from the village who are now professionals with a folk dance group came and led the dancing (to the music provided by the Gypsy musicians) and we saw that all the gymnastics are part of it, but that they are measured and careful and very difficult in their execution of the rhythm, supplied by the tupan, played masterfully by a black, powerful Gypsy, who really played with his whole body. The older Gypsy played a Macedonian clute (clarinet) which gives a high oriental reedy sound and supplies the melody for the dance. Their cheeks alternatively puffed in and out like chipmunks and perspiration dripped from their eyes and foreheads and spurted off at an angle when the cheeks puffed out suddenly and showed the sweat. It was very hot and the dance most difficult but they kept up for about two and a half hours and when the ended their whole bodies were throbbing with exertion. Joel took a great deal of photographs." (See also mufs001-xn-i0994 through i0997.)
All rights for this image are held by Joel M. Halpern. Requests to publish, redistribute, or replicate this material should be addressed to Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries.
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