Over 300 compatriots from America represented Bulgaria at the World Cultural Festival in Washington , organized by the international foundation The Art of Living .
250 dancers from several Bulgarian folklore troupes in the USA, together with pipers and kukeri performed a spectacular common choreography, presenting in 7 minutes the various folklore areas of our country. The music was created especially for the festival by the famous composer Georgi Andreev, the vocal performance was by Desi Dobreva, and the pipers were led by Kiril Ketev.
The overall vision of the performance is the work of Irinka Gocheva , choreographer of one of the largest groups abroad – dance ensemble “Horo” in Chicago. The ensemble “Ludo Mlado” with conductors Pepi Petrov and Marieta Mircheva, “Zharava” with conductor Desi Yordanov, “Vereya” with conductor Konstantin Marinov and “Bulgare” from San Francisco also joined the participation and preparation.
“Miracles from Bulgaria” – this is the title of the video presenting the Bulgarian participation, which invites us to immerse ourselves in the age-old rhythms and dance figures of one of the oldest countries in Europe.
“On the stage, all the dancers were led by the journalist Galina Petrova, who wore a traditional bread with geraniums, personifying the beauty of the Bulgarian woman. Konstantin Marinov from the “Vereya” ensemble, dressed as a cook, chases away the evil spirits around her. Minutes later, the singer Desi Dobreva lit up the huge stage, and around her, the dancers danced krash chora to the sounds of the various Bulgarian rhythms. The final caused a real furor in the audience, who watched from over 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 the 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 observed on the spot by an audience of one million.
“Bulgarian dancers brought the audience to their feet at the World Culture Festival 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.