Barátok Belly Dance Company was originally found in 1990 at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival under the name Cigany.  In 1991 Cigany became a permanent act in the festival’s “Feast of Fantasy.”  Founding member Guinevere Lazarchic became the Director of the group in 2002 and led the group through years of continued success to make them a staple of the festival through performances on the grounds as well as maintaining the groups residency within the Feast of Fantasy.  In 2019 the Group changed its name to Barátok Belly Dance.  That year Danielle Haller became the Dance Director of the group and in 2020 Guinevere stepped away from the group and Danielle became the groups new Director.  Over the next four years the group went from performing at Minnesota Renaissance’s Feast of Fantasy to expanding its presence by adding two daily stage shows on the Festival’s Pavillion Stage as well as adding performances at neighboring Nebraska Renaissance Faire, and The Siouxland Renaissance Festival.  In addition, the group has, and continues to perform at local festivals and fairs, private events, and more.  Barátok also hosts its own annual show “Festival of Friends” showcasing some of top acts from Minnesota and surrounding renaissance festivals.  Barátok continues its focus on expanding its performances with the goal being to expose people to the beautiful and classic art form of Raq Sharqi and other Middle Eastern forms of Belly Dance.