Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

The largest Bulgarian folklore festival in North America starts

900 dancers will take part in the 13th edition of "Verea", its organizer Konstantin Marinov tells Radio Bulgaria

Photo: library

37 ensembles from 14 U.S. states and 7 dance groups from Canada will participate in the largest Bulgarian folklore festival in North America - "Verea". Its 13th edition starts on April 27 with a screening of the film "Kaval Park", but the focus is on Bulgarian folk dances. The festival started as a small event more than a decade ago in the Church of St. Sofia, but it has grown and today lasts not one, but three whole days. "Folklore is magic," says organizer Konstantin Marinov, who himself is the magician igniting the spark of love in Bulgarians from all over North America for traditional folklore dances.

"According to the traditions of the festival, all participants gather on Saturday and get to know each other; this year 900 people will celebrate together. However, Verea starts on April 27 with a film by Bogdan Darev from Seattle, it's called ‘Kaval Park’ and it's very interesting. It tells the story of an American of Russian origin - Alexander Eppler, who graduated from the Academy of Music in Plovdiv with kaval and when he returned to the USA he started teaching Americans how to play Bulgarian traditional instruments - it's worth seeing."

The tradition of holding a special dance course within the framework of the festival will also be observed.

"At the invitation of the Horo Ensemble, the main choreographer of the Philip Koutev Ensemble in Bulgaria, Ivaylo Ivanov, is here this year. Irina Gocheva and Todor Gochev, the managers of ‘Horo’ in Chicago, invited him to stage a dance for them and I suggested that he do a workshop, so that people could see how different specialists teach," Konstantin Marinov says and adds:


"On Saturday, April 29, we start at noon and finish at 7 p.m. I wouldn't call this a contest, but a gathering of people who like Bulgarian folk art. We have known most of the bands for many years thanks to the festival. We have also started enriching the festival. There is a film screening, as well as an exhibition of Bulgarian artists from Chicago - eight female artists, as well as artist and woodcarver Ognyan Todorov."

A real folk festival is coming - three days in which the Bulgarians in Chicago will dance, sing and celebrate.

Report by Elena Tsaneva, correspondent of BNR in Chicago

English: Al. Markov

Photos: library; Konstantin Marinov




Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Faces of Balkan folklore to be presented at photo exhibition in Kardzhali

On June 3 at 18.00 in Art Gallery "Circle" in Kardzhali the photo exhibition "Ethnopalitra - the faces of Balkan folklore"  will be opened. The exhibition is the work of  journalist and historian Georgi Kulov.  The exhibition is inspired..

published on 6/3/24 7:05 AM

The Bulgarian folklore ensembles abroad are hubs of social and cultural communication

There are no data regarding the exact number of Bulgarian dance ensembles operating abroad. But there is one thing that is certain – they are amateur groups scattered across all continents, acting as a bridge between Bulgaria and the rest of the..

updated on 5/28/24 12:49 PM
Surva festival in Pernik

Pernik will host 44th meeting of the Federation of European Carnival Cities

Bulgaria's Pernik will host the 44th annual meeting of the Federation of European Carnival Cities , which is opening today , the municipal administration announced. More than 100 delegates from 20 countries are expected to elect a new president and new..

published on 5/13/24 6:51 AM