site.btaBulgaria Takes Part in World Culture Festival in Washington

Bulgaria took part in the World Culture Festival, held between September 29 and October 1 in Washington.

Some 230 Bulgarian dancers from different parts of the US, as well as mummers (Bulgarian: kukeri), dancers, and bagpipers from Bulgaria, participated in the event, Bulgaria’s Embassy in Washington said on Monday.

Among the participants were the musical ensembles Zherava, based in Washington; Vereya, Horo, and Gaidari, based in Chicago; and Ludo Mlado, based in Boston.

The music for the performance was written by composer Georgi Andreev. Bulgarian singer Desi Dobreva also performed at the festival. The main organizer of Bulgaria’s participation in the event was Denitsa Stancheva.

“I can proudly say that we, the Bulgarians in the US, and the wonderful Desi Dobreva represented Bulgaria at the largest event in the United States of America: World Culture Festival 2023,” one of the participants, Beatrice Mineva, was quoted as telling Bulgaria’s news and media portal Eurochicago.

“We are grateful to the organizers of this event: Denitsa Stancheva Batedzha and her wonderful team, our wonderful choreographer, Irina Gocheva, and the Horo dance ensemble, who took care of the whole setup in collaboration with Ludo Mlado’s director, Pepi Petrov, and several more choreographers. A bow to all the dancers, bagpipers, mummers, the unparalleled Desi Dobreva, and to all who participated in this great event, with the sole purpose of showing everyone what a treasure we possess, namely our homeland Bulgaria!", Mineva said.

The World Culture Festival was held for the fourth time. It took place at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. and was organized by the Art of Living Foundation, an international NGO with an educational and humanitarian focus. According to the Foundation, some 17,000 artists representing different cultural traditions from around the world participated in the event. There were over 450,000 registered visitors.