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Wonders of Bulgaria across the Ocean
300 Bulgarians from USA present Bulgarian folklore at World Culture Festival in Washington
Thursday 5 October 2023 08:34
Thursday, 5 October 2023, 08:34
PHOTO Facebook/Georgi Panayotov
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Over 300 Bulgarians based in the USA have represented Bulgaria at the World Culture Festival in Washington, organized by the international foundation The Art of Living.
250 dancers from several Bulgarian folklore troupes in the USA, together with bagpipers and mummers, performed a spectacular joint choreography, presenting in 7 minutes the various folklore regions of Bulgaria. The music was created especially for the festival by the famous composer Georgi Andreev, the vocal performance was by Desi Dobreva, and the bagpipe player were led by Kiril Ketev.
The overall concept of the performance is the work of Irina Gocheva, choreographer of one of the largest Bulgarian folk ensembles abroad – the Horo dance ensemble based in Chicago. The Ludo Mlado ensemble led by Pepi Petrov and Marieta Mircheva, Zharava ensemble led by Desi Yordanov, Vereya ensemble led by Konstantin Marinov and Bulgare from San Francisco were also involved in the performance and preparation.
"Wonders of Bulgaria" - this is the title of the video presenting the Bulgarian participation, which invites viewers to immerse themselves in the age-old rhythms and dance figures of one of the oldest countries in Europe:
300 българи от Америка представиха фолклора ни на Световния културен фестивал във Вашингтон
"On the stage, all the dancers were led by Bulgarian journalist Galina Petrova, who was carrying a traditional round bread with geraniums, personifying the beauty of the Bulgarian woman. Konstantin Marinov from the Vereya ensemble, dressed as a mummer, chases away the evil spirits around her. Minutes later, the singer Desi Dobreva lit up the huge stage, and around her, the dancers danced to the sounds of various Bulgarian rhythms. The final caused a real furore in the audience, which watched from more than 60 screens located throughout the National Mall. This is the first joint participation of so many Bulgarian dancers from the USA in one place", says Svetoslav Stankov, Consul General of Bulgaria in Chicago, in a Facebook post.
The preparation of the Bulgarian participation in the event took more than 6 months, as all participants joined the cause absolutely voluntarily, with the desire to represent their Motherland. The organization is the work of Denitsa Stancheva-Batezhda, who has been a member of the Art of Living organization for years.
This was the 4th edition of the forum, and for the first time it visited North America. 17 thousand participants from different countries took part in it, and the performances were watched by an audience of one million.
"The Bulgarian dancers brought the audience to their feet at the World Festival of Culture in Washington. I thank all of them for their efforts, enthusiasm, for preserving Bulgarian traditions and culture in the USA and for their love for Bulgaria!" wrote the Bulgarian ambassador to the USA Georgi Panayotov.
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Photos: Facebook/Georgi Panayotov
Editing by Elena Karkalanova
Translated and published by Rositsa Petkova
This publication was created by: БНР екип
