Rana Halprin has been closely involved with the Romani (Gypsies) for over 25 years. On tour in Yugoslavia as a child dancer- performer she first made contact with Romani children. In the early 1970’s she went to Southern Spain to study ‘flamenco puro” or “Gypsy” flamenco with the now legendary Gastor–Amaya family with whom she lived and danced for over a year. She returned to California to complete her studies in Visual Ethnography (UC Berkeley.) She met this Kumpania or extended family during this period while teaching at "The Romany School", a private school for Romani families initiated by the late great Rom Baro (Chief) Stele Costello with J. Thompkins. Rana has maintained an intimate friendship with this Kumpania, photographing between 1975 to present, providing four generations of family visual and oral history. She recently traveled back to the flamenco centers of Sevilla, Jerez and Moron de la Frontera.

Rana is a rare outsider allowed genuinely into the customarily private Romani culture, due the length and depth of friendships and her grasp of the Romani language. Ms Halprin is member of Patrin (an International Romani coalition) as well as numerous Romani and human rights organizations throughout the world. She is in contact with Dr. Ian Hancock, UN Representative of the Roma and on the Board of the Holocaust museum in Washington DC. Ms. Halprin continues working to bring awareness to the universal concerns facing the Rom,

Halprin has also worked with the Northern Cheyenne (1978-79) in Lame Deer on the film, "Land of the Morning Star" under the auspices of NEH for PBS and has photographed in Lame Deer, as well as her own children. She has an office in San Francisco, is a Licensed Therapist and Art Therapist, and has taught and performed nationally and internationally. She has exhibited “The Romani “ photographs at Galleries throughout the United States. Rana has donated her images to various groups working for the Roma, rights of the child, human rights, and global peace.

“ Rana has captured the soul of every human being in her luscious photos of Romany children.”

Deborah Santana
Milagro Foundation
Deborah and Carlos Santana

"Rana Halprin is a rare outsider who has been intimately involved with the Romani community for over thirty years . I am pleased to support any assistance she seeks with the aim of resuming her mission, of publishing and exhibiting her work, which I believe will be of great value to creating tolerance and understanding of the Romanies"

Hon. Ian Hancock, Ph.D Professor University of Texas, Austin, author.
Director : The Romani Archives and Documentation Center E Rromane Arxivura Thaj Hertijengo Centro

"Rana Halprin offers us the eye of a keen observer who has been invited into the private Romani community. Her work is culturally informative as well as visually evocative."

Catherine Wagner
Internationally renowned artist - photographer

"Ms, Halprin has documented the often misunderstood "Gypsy" or Romany culture of California and elsewhere, with great clarity, compassion, and intelligence… Ms Halprin’s work is of museum quality.”

David Haberstich
Head of Photographic Collections
Smithsonian National Museum of American History