‎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. ‎

‎"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:‎

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"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.‎

Photos: Facebook/Georgi Panayotov

Editing by Elena Karkalanova