Poetry
With their recent collaborative project - a lyric video-poem in the framework of Month of Roma Culture initiated by the Equality League - Foundation NOW - actresses Roma Donka Kioseva and Bulgarian Melina Atanasova address the stereotypes around talanted women in both cultures.
The performers created a two-minute video which has already got hundreds of views on Youtube.
It tells a story of a lonely woman who experiences a dramatic break-up and tryies to find ways of renewal.
The video poem features a skillful application of different art media: music, poetry, art performance.
Donka Kioseva, the author of the poem, starts telling her story in Roma language.
Simultaneously, the second voice by Melina, the actress and director of the video, repeats the text in Bulgarian.
This languages interplay is enhanced by lyrical music and the image of burning candles, which creates a dramatic effect.
Fire is the main means of the heroines' self-expression. And it was an intentional choice. Both performers, graduates of Plovdiv University ‘Paisii Hilendarski’ with a degree in theatre and dramatic arts, recently joined Firestep, a famous Plovdiv fire formation.
Together they participate in charity concerts for the Roma community and women rights initiatives.
Fire art
In October, Firestep wowed Plovdiv with the fire performance Samodiva presented during the street art 6fest specialized in fire art.
The performance was a new feministic vision of women obedience in the Bulgarian tradition.
The struggle between female and male views was vividly expressed with impressive fire battles in Plovdiv art district Kapana (in English 'trap').
Theatre
Last year the actresses tackled the theme of feminism in the Roma tradition with a theatrical performance based on a script written by Donka Kioseva.
The performance of Melina and Donka became part of the creative project IN-BETWEEN by Anais Horn, an Austrian artist who for two months lived with a Roma community in Plovdiv, made photo sessions with local girls and organized a photo exhibition.
The artist triggered a social dialogue challenging the status-quo of Roma traditions that oblige women to get married early and deprive them of professional development.
Stand-up comedy
In Firestep, Donka is one of the most experienced performers. She has been performing and writing scenarios since school.
One of her successful pieces reached the semi-final of the prestigious TV-show Bulgaria’s Got Talent, it mocked the cliches related to Roma ethnos.
The bold jokes of the Roma comic duo (Donka and her partner Andrey Stoyanov) impressed the jury.
Donka's favourite hobby – reading near the beloved cat – allows her to regularly generate new ideas and creativity that she channels into new performances.
The actress highlights the importance of consistency for getting opportunities for self-expression and suggests Roma young people never give up quickly: ‘Regularity is a certain way to success’.
Female solidarity beyond arts
Melina Atanasova is frequently the only Bulgarian that participates in events for the Roma community.
‘Every time I’m impressed by Roma friendliness and unity, - says Melina. - Their remarkable solidarity is what we, Bulgarians, need to learn from them. And, in turn, we should help young Roma women to get an education and follow their dreams’.
Both Donka and Melina are sure that creativity helps to benefit from cultural diversity and creativity.
Their communities face similar social problems and should approach them with collaborative creative projects - the most natural way of public engagement.
‘The most important thing I learned during my collaboration with Roma ethnos is that distinctions between us are not significant and stereotypes create artificial problems in our heads, - thinks Melina. – And if you open your soul to difference, you'll better understand yourself’.