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Posted by: Becky Wasserman (1-22-09)

My Case of Mistaken (Cultural) Identity

I am not Romanian. Far from it.

I’m a Catholic, Irish-German American who grew up in the middle of a cornfield. There’s not one drop of Eastern European blood flowing through my veins (well, none that I’m aware of anyway). The only commonalities my family shares with Romania are Austria and Hungary: the two countries that separate it from Germany. I won’t even try to calculate how far it is from Ireland.

Up until a little over a year ago, my knowledge of Romanian culture was – to say the least – extremely lacking. In my very American-like mindset, Romania was the home of Dracula. That was it. 

On a relatable topic switch, I have been a dancer for a better part of my life. Ballet, hip-hop, whatever style suited us at the moment while I was on my college dance team. Mind you, I would never have been a candidate for Julliard, but dancing made me happy. So, after attending a festival with Kristin a little more than a year ago, I suddenly found myself a member of The Doina Romanian Folkloric Dance Ensemble.

Yes, the Irish-German girl joined a folk dance group that celebratesRomanian history and culture. Trust me, I recognize the irony. When people asked me why, my reply was, “How many times in your life will someone ask you if you want to join a Romanian folk dance group?” My parents just shook their heads and smiled. I think they’re used to me doing something like this by now.

I won’t say that I wasn’t intimidated when I went to my first practice. Actually, I made one of my friends in the group stay after practice two times and show me the steps before I joined a real practice. But, I’m glad I stayed. Between learning a new dance style, looking befuddled for the better part of two hours because I had no idea what anyone was saying (still don’t) and learning rudimentary Romanian (first phrase I learned to say and understand – “de la început”/ “from the beginning”), I was introduced to people who not only had the lineage, but truly lived it, and welcomed me like I was a member of the family. 

So, I stayed and danced. We perform seven dances, each of which reflects a different region and style in Romania (costumes and all), and we are learning more each practice. In the course of a year, Doina has performed in Cleveland, Michigan and Toronto, Ontario. I was even able dance in Romania this summer on my first trip to Europe with friends. My “Why not?” attitude opened doors to a whole new world for me. The moral of my story is, when the opportunity presents itself to have a case of mistaken cultural identity, give it a try. You may be surprised.

Go to Becky's page.