A dance group that has racked up over 25 million views on Tik Tok and Facebook says it hopes this viral fame will educate people about the beauty of their Romani culture.
The KaskoSan charity regularly uploads short clips to showcase the skills of its fleet-footed dancers, and they are appreciated by millions around the world.
Juice Vamosi runs the charity along with Maria Palmai and the pair, who both live in Oldham, put their viral success down to the fact that there is nowhere else online to watch what Juice calls 'Gypsy dancing'.
He said: "It's faster, more intricate and way more competitive than any other form of dance.
"When two Romani people dance, they aren't simply dancing with each other; they’re competing to see who can best express the celebration of an identity that’s so often hidden from the outside world. The dance becomes a vibrant, fiery act of resistance and joy: a way to say: 'We are here, and this is who we are.'"
Juice and Maria are all too aware of what the group is up against in their battle to win hearts and minds. A recent University of Birmingham and YouGov survey found that 44.6 per cent of people viewed Gypsies and Irish Travellers negatively.
Their charity, KaskoSan, aims to build the capabilities and life chances of Roma communities, and brings together talented dancers of all ages, from Oldham, Bolton, Horwich, Blackburn, Preston and beyond.
Under the tutelage of dance professional Michael Syletsky, who has performed internationally for over 20 years, they have been meeting regularly to practice their steps at Bolton Socialist Club since February 2023.
After a recent appearance at Aviva Studios in Manchester to mark Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month, the group is now set to perform at free outdoor family friendly festival Góbéfest. The festival takes place in Manchester's Cathedral Gardens on Friday 20 -Sunday, June 22, 2025 and around 15 dancers, aged between 5-60 will take to the stage.
They will perform alongside dance groups from cultural traditions including Lithuanian, Bulgarian and Ukrainian, all of which, Juice said, have strong influences from Gypsy dance.
The three day event also gives a stage to musicians from Eastern and Central Europe and beyond and features a family activity tent and international street food market.
A Romani language interpreter, filmmaker and community leader, Juice founded the charity in Hungary in 2008, and when he moved to Oldham in 2013, he continued his work alongside Maria.
He said: "People have such a distorted view of our community and we face much prejudice everywhere we go. All over the world, Romani Gypsies deal with the multi-generational trauma of anti-gypsyism, isolation, mental ill-health, and intense poverty.
"It's been a long-held dream for the local community to have a space that is big enough to meet up and the KaskoSan dance group has been going from strength to strength since Bolton Socialist Club offered us a room.”
Juice said that over a thousand Roma people from all over the north have dropped in since they first had access to the community space, including people from different groups that would not normally interact.
"Dance is such an intergenerational activity and it brings everyone together,” he said, “whether they are participating as a dancer, an audience member or watching a clip on social media from their living room.
“We hope that through experiencing the joy of real Gypsy dancing, people might be more open to learning about our culture, our language and our people and start to mend some of the divisions and let go of their prejudices.”
Pris,13, who lives in Oldham, said: "Since my family moved to the UK, we do not have family gatherings like we used to have in Hungary.
"We feel very much isolated. It’s often very boring just being at home and mixing with non-Roma groups is hard since they have negative views about us and we are often misunderstood and bullied. That is why I love the club activities, especially the performances and trips are a lot of fun."
Maria said: "As Roma immigrants, our families often feel isolated. But in this club, children can express their Roma identity freely and proudly, without fear of racism or judgment.
"We see how much the children grow here. Their confidence grows week by week, and they become more connected to their identity and to each other.
"Beyond dancing, we offer cultural sessions, including Roma language workshops, storytelling, and music. Our mission is to build a bridge between communities, to challenge prejudice by sharing our culture, and also to pass our identity on to the next generation.
"We’re very grateful to the Socialist Club, because without them offering us this space, we wouldn’t have this club at all."
Maria dreams big for the future of the community. "Our dream is to one day have our own community centre," she said, "where we can keep this work going, grow it, and reach even more children.
"What we do here is not just about dance - it’s about pride, belonging, growth, and hope for the future.”
KaskoSan will be at Góbéfest in Cathedral Gardens, Manchester, on Sunday, June 22, 2025 at around 4pm. Tickets are available here
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