Adriana Helbig is assistant professor of music and affiliated faculty with the Center for Russian and East European Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. She holds a PhD in Ethnomusicology from Columbia University (2005) where she has also taught in the Ukrainian Studies Program. Her articles on Romani (Gypsy) music, post-socialist cultural policy, and global hip-hop have appeared in edited collections and journals such as Yearbook for Traditional Music, Current Musicology, and Anthropology of East Europe Review. Oksana Buranbaeva is co-author of the book Cultures of the World: Dagestan and has worked for international organizations in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. She is a graduate of Columbia University's Harriman Institute, a leading center for the advancement of knowledge in the field of Russian and Eurasian studies. Vanja Mladineo holds a Master's degree from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and a Certificate from its East Central European Center. She has professional experience in the public and non-profit sectors and has done policy research in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. She is a co-recipient of the 2006 AAAS Title VIII Honorable Mention award for an outstanding policy paper on Eurasian Affairs.