Press
About Gypsy Hands Bellydancers:
One local feautre of almost every Bonnaroo festival is Gypsy Hands Tribal Fusion Bellydance Troupe, led by proprietor, Sara Griscom. With intricate choreographies, midnight fire dances and inspired costuming, the troupe emerged this year supplied... In the beginning, Gypsy Hands was a guerilla-style dancing act at Bonnaroo. In 2004, the tropue performed at the Solar Stage, received vendor status, and filling a gold circus tent, provided “sunscreen massage,” chiropractic, tarot readings, merchandise, bohemian rugs and shade... Last yaer, the troupe also performed at the Troo Music Lounge... This year, Griscom brought her inner mystic to the stage through her timeless charm... in a new venue, the Bonna Rouge Tent, Gypsy Hands dazzled audiences who saw the new Gypsy Hands' original moves with a darker, raw amotional quality. Bellydance and yoga classes were also taught. The sun shined for everyone, and despite the ill effects of dust, Camp Gypsy and the troupe continued to support the Bonnaroo legacy with ease and style.
...Maria Vaughn, Knoxville Voice June 28, 2007
In addition to the expected rhythmic elements of the dance, Gypsy Hands incorporates delicate balance and mesmerizing work with fire and swords. Dancers spin balls and wands of fire and dance with tiny cups of flame on their fingertips. "We are as much performance artists and belly dancers," says the group's founder, Sara Griscom."
...Wayne Bledsoe, Knoxville News-Sentinel Jan. 5, 2005
To see them perform live is an indescribable event. It's almost participatory, inundating the visual and auditory senses. ... Belly dance, like many healing practices, originated centuries ago. "It started in Northern India and then migrated across the Middle East, but you can see vestiges of it in other dance, like the flamenco in Spain," says Griscom.
The accomplishments of the Gypsy Hands performers support both aspects of Griscom's vision; they are not tied down to traditional music or performance venues and are highly regarded in Knoxville and other cities they've graced. "Bonnaroo (an annual music festival in Manchester, Tenn., that drew around 100,000 attendees last year) has definitely been our biggest exposure," Griscom says. ... the Gypsy Hands dancers have left Knoxville audiences in awe at Sundown in the City with the Tom Tom Club and a number of rock shows at various venues...