BALKAN Folk Dance Group
at the community center “Tzar Boris III”
Sofia, Bulgaria

The folk dance group “Balkan” is established in 1954 but the last 30 years are the most beneficial for us. In 1974, the group “Balkan” became a laureate and a golden prizewinner at the IV Republican festival of amateur dance groups. At the next V, VI, VII, VIII festivals the group retained this prize and was always among the golden winners. We have just won the first price in the Sofia festival of youth arts 2000. Balkan was honored with the Silver lyre of the Union of the Bulgarian musicians and dancers in 2004. Member of the National section of CIOFF – Bulgaria.

The members of the dance group “Balkan” are people with different backgrounds – schoolboys and girls, students, workers. It’s amateur group, but the management body always is racing the serious issues in terms of technical and artistic performance.

In the ensemble’s repertoire, there are selected and arranged customs and folk dances from all the ethnographic regions of Bulgaria, what makes its concerts especially colorful and glamorous. A playbill of around 2 hours includes more than 15 dances – lyrical, playful, and ritual. The most of the dances are part of the golden heritage of the Bulgarian folk choreography, i.e. the dances “Shopska suite”, “Erketchki dances” and “Madcaps” are arranged by the choreographer of the State folk dance ensemble “Philip Kutev” – Margarita Dikova, “Trifon Zarezan”, “Girl feast in Shoupluka”, “In the fields of Dobrudga”, “Sow a field before marriage” are arranged by the choreographer of the State military ensemble Metody Kutev. The most part of the dances are arranged by Kiril Chirpanliev – art manager for long years of the group. He is twice awarded with the “St. Ciril and Methody” medal – II and III level, and is honored with the Golden lyre prize by the Union of Bulgarian Musicians and Dancers.

Each dance is specific for its atmosphere created by original dance motions, costumes and music. With their emotional performance and high spirits the dancers are loudly applauded and they conquer stages all over Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, France, Turkey, Italy, Greece, Ukraine, Moldova, Serbia and Montenegro, Germany :

1. ІV Republican festival of the amateur groups – Vratza’ 1974
2. IFF in Greece’ 1974
3. IFF in Hungary’ 1975
4. Festival of shop’s dances – Bankya’ 1975
5. Fest of the songs and dances – Varna’ 1976
6. ІІІ National festival of the solo dances – Gorna Oriahovitza’ 1977
7. V Republican festival of the amateur groups – Vratza’ 1978
8. IFF in Hungary’ 1979
9. VІ Republican festival of the amateur groups – Vratza’ 1980
10. VІІІ Festival of shop’s dances – Bankya’ 1980.
11. IFF in Poland’ 1980
12. IFF in France’ 1981
13. IFF in Samsun, Turkey’ 1983
14. VІІ Republican festival of the amateur groups – Vratza’ 1984
15. IFF in Italy’ 1984
16. IFF in Athens, Greece’ 1986
17. IFF in Primorsko’ 1987
18. IFF in Roccagorga, Italy’ 1988
19. VIII Republican festival of the amateur groups – Vratza’ 1988
20. “Orfeus holidays” – Smolyan’ 1989
21. IFF “Bolgrad summer” – Bolgrad, Ukraine’ 1991
22. IFF in Moldova’ 1991
23. National festival of the solo dances – Gorna Oriahovitza’ 1995
24. HOREOGRAPHY ХХ century - Sofia’ 1999
25. IFF in Kushadasi, Turkey’ 2000
26. Festival of the youth’s arts – Sofia’ 2000
27. IFF “Dobroudja sings and dances” – Albena’ 2001
28. Festival of the youth’s arts – Sofia’ 2001
29. IFF “BALKANFOLK’ 2002” - Veliko Tarnovo’ 2002
30. IFF“Kadukioy” - Istanbul, Turkey’ 2002
31. IFF “Dobroudja sings and dances” – Albena’ 2002
32. National festival of CIOFF – Sofia’ 2002
33. Festival of the youth’s arts – Sofia’ 2002
34. IFF “BALKANFOLK’ 2003”  - Veliko Tarnovo’ 2003
35. IFF Summerfest – Hungary’2003
36. IFF Students festival in Katowice, Poland’2003
37. Festival of the youth’s arts – Sofia’ 2003
38. IFF “Vlaska” – Serbia and Montenegro’ 2004
39. IFF in Cotbus, Germany’ 2005
40. IFF “Vlaska” – Serbia and Montenegro’ 2005
41. National festival of CIOFF – Sofia’ 2006
42. Intercultural meeting in Ankara, Turkey’2006

Here we would like to present you a short description of some of the dances included in our program. Please, excuse us about the poor quality of the tape, but it was made with amateur camera during the concert performance.

“SOW A FIELD BEFORE A MARRIAGE” – a wedding custom from Southeast Bulgaria describing the acceptance of the bride in her new home.

“GIRL FEAST IN SHOUPLUKA” – it is a dance performance from West Bulgaria – Shoupsko. It is a ritual based on the folk beliefs. It is a winter feast of the girls who are trying together to predict their future.

“KUDI” – it is a dance from the Southeast part of the country, from the Trace. The background is the winter feast “Koleduvane” /it is a Christmas custom/.

“ERKETCHKI DANCES” – folk elements from East Bulgaria. The idea of the dance is “lazaruvane” – a religious ceremony in terms of regeneration and rebirth of the nature in the spring. The girls are simulating a flock of herring gulls.

“IN THE FIELDS OF DOBRUDGA” – from Northeast part of Bulgaria. It describes the agricultural activities during the year – sowing a field, wheat growing, harvesting and the preparation of the bread. The choreography of the dance nears Folk Dance Theater.

“ORATNITZI” – it is a dance based on a folk heritage of Northwest Bulgaria. It represents a moment of spring feast “Zagovezni” /forgiveness/ which is the important part of the Bulgarian system of ritual celebrations.

In our program we have included also “Butterfly”, “Along the river”, “Youth”, “Misunderstanding”, “Shoupska suite”, “Kopanitza”, “Ludetina”, “Madcaps”, “Trifon Zarezan”, “Northern suite”.

We hope this short presentation of the folk dance group “Balkan” and the part of the dance repertoire would give you a better understanding of our heritage and the program which could be contend for an eventual participation of our group in the concerts or festivals.

Contact Information:
Folk Dance group “Balkan”
Kiril Chirpanliev – art – manager
Milena Chirpanlieva - manager
Bulgaria, Sofia  1527
“Gen. D.Nikolaev”  8/3/G/79
Tel.: +359 899 937 537
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it  
web: balkan.artbf.com


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