From Bulgaria to Germany – Varna and Lazarka ensembles on one stage in Munich

The Varna Folk Ensemble will be a special guest at the 11th edition of the travelling festival “On the Village Square of the Other Bulgaria”, held from May 15 to 17 in Munich. Over its 66-year history, the ensemble from Bulgaria’s sea capital has proven its contribution to the research, performance, and promotion of Bulgarian folk heritage. An interesting fact links the guests from Varna with this year’s festival hosts—the Munich-based ensemble “Lazarka”. The foundations of both groups were laid by choreographer Belcho Stanev. This shared origin leads the current artistic director of the Varna Folk Ensemble, Yuliyan Stanev (Belcho Stanev’s son) to view the German ensemble as a kind of “younger sister” formation.

“In 1991, my father founded the 'Lazarka’ ensemble together with a German woman, Kamila Will. At first, the dancers were all German, and later they became exclusively Bulgarians under the leadership of the current director, Plamen Petkov, who had previously been a dancer in Ruse before moving to Germany. My wife and I travel to Munich every few months, where we hold intensive joint dance workshops”, said the director of the Varna Folk Ensemble in an interview for Radio Bulgaria.

At the new edition of the festival “On the Village Square of the Other Bulgaria,” this close bond between the two ensembles will be brought to the stage at the BMW Park in Munich.

“Our program will last about one hour. We will perform dances from the Dobrudzha region, and there will also be a performance by our choir of six singers and an orchestra. After that, we will present dances inspired by Thracian motifs. The orchestra and choir will perform songs from all over Bulgaria, and finally we will conclude our participation together with Emsemble ‘Lazarka’, with whom we will perform a series of Shopluk dances”, explained Yuliyan Stanev.

• “Na Megdana na DrugataBulgaria” gathering will take place in Munich May 15-17

He describes dance as a devotion that cannot be replaced by anything else. His entire family has dedicated their lives to this art:

“We are the only family where all of us are choreographers. My mother, my father, my wife and I have all graduated from the choreography school in Sofia and the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts-Plovdiv. Just like my parents, my wife and I have known each other since school. Dance is a form of dedication that starts as a hobby and becomes a profession. We have had many difficult moments over the years, including financial ones, but we have endured because something built over 65 years cannot be erased so easily”, the choreographer said.

The school of the Varna Folk Ensemble serves as a home, a family, and a school of folklore and patriotism for many people. It trains over 200 dancers, musicians, and singers, organized into children’s and youth preparatory groups.The children’s school is named “Bulgarchе” ensemble.

“This kind of ‘incubator’, which prepares children for the so-called main ensemble, was created by my mother and father. It is currently led by my wife who works with 250 children starting from the age of seven. When they reach 9th–10th grade, they start joining the Varna Folk Ensemble”, Yuliyan Stanev explains.

More than 500 amateur performers from three generations have been part of the Varna Folk Ensemble. They have held over 2,000 concerts in Bulgaria and around the world, on every continent except Antarctica. Wherever they perform, the dancers convey the enduring wisdom and charm of Bulgarian dance. Now, they are preparing to meet audiences in Munich, where nearly 120 amateur Bulgarian dance groups from around the world will come together.

Radio Bulgaria will be covering this large-scale dance event, where Bulgarians from across Europe, the Americas, and even South Africa will take the stage. Follow our posts, where we will share the emotions of the festival with you. It will culminate on Sunday, May 17, when all participants will join in the Grand Horo in Munich’s Max-Joseph-Platz square from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. local time.

Read also:

• A film tells the story of Munich-based Bulgarian ensemble ‘Lazarka’

Translated by Kostadin Atanasov