Frank, outspoken, warm-hearted and always smiling – that is how Dimitar Lazarov can be described in just a few words. He derives his energy and his inspiration from his work, uniting his two grand passions – music and dance. He plays the guitar and sings, but also has his own dance school.

“First came the music,” Dimitar says. “As a teenager I had friends at school who played classical guitar, so that got me going as well. I made a slight detour – I graduated the Technical University – but then came dancing. I was 23 then. I am the living proof that if you want something badly enough, age or circumstance do not matter in the least. So, there came a time when I decided to bring the two important things in my life together. On the birthday of the club where I danced, I decided to surprise everyone and played several songs. Then I met Yulian Markov who plays the piano, bass guitar and now timbales. And four years ago we founded De Fuego Orchestra together. Now, after several member changes, there are 10 of us. I am guitarist and vocals, some of the pieces are mine, others are composed by Yuli. But this project would be impossible without the other members. Our music is positive and is welcomed everywhere we perform.”

“Most of the pieces in my debut album Only You are pop, but there is funk, jazz and ballads. Two of them involve all Fuego Orchestra members. They also helped me with the arrangements, so Dream (salsa) and I Love You (bachata) are pieces we have all worked on,” says Dimitar Lazarov.

A person with a very positive outlook on life, Dimitar Lazarov has been working at his salsa school with much love and enthusiasm. Besides the dancing itself, he admits he has set himself the task of teaching the participants… how to be in a good mood. Together they go to parties, meet people from other dancing schools and most of all, enjoy dancing.

“Pure pulse and rhythm - that is how I feel when I’m dancing. It is the fire of life that burns every single minute,” Dimitar Lazarov says. His favourite styles, besides salsa include Argentine tango:

“It is a dance that is really profound, a way to deepen your understanding of life and of communicating. It has psychology, beauty and aesthetics, so I decided I wanted to go where it was created. I recently returned from Argentina. I was impressed by Buenos Aires, by how friendly people are. I tried to make the most of my stay there – private lessons, seminars. At one of the seminars I was with the four queens of tango and that evening they put on a great show. I learnt so much there and I brought back with me photographs for decorating the dance hall in Sofia. I am forging ahead and I must admit I have more work as a dancer than I do as a musician. What I would really like is to divide my time between the two in equal measure because I cannot say which I love best.”

English version: Milena Daynova