The Ludi-Mladi folk ensemble from Montpellier, France, is scheduled to participate in the 11th edition of the traveling festival Expats Join Hands in Worldwide Dance, taking place at BMW Park in Munich from May 15 to 17. The ensemble’s director, Iva Milkova, stated that their performance, titled “In the Embrace of the Flame,” will depict a love story resilient to adversity. Inspired by the Nestinarstvo fire-dancing rite, the piece symbolizes eternal love, both personal and directed toward Bulgarian culture and traditions.
Milkova explained that the performance aims to remind the audience of their origins, the challenges faced by the nation, and the enduring strength found in unity and tradition, presenting a dual tribute to both love and history. The choreography is structured in two parts: an introduction featuring free, rhythm bagpipe music, followed by a more dynamic section incorporating elements of the Kopanitsa and an arrangement of the horo dance Aidar Abasi. The creative team includes choreographers Nikolay Zagorov, Evgenia Ivanova, and Preslav Varbanov.
Milkova indicated that the performance encourages the audience to contemplate the sacrifices made for love, regardless of its object, leading to a reflection on personal choice and moral conviction. The ensemble, which comprises 12 Bulgarian dancers—six students aged 18 to 24 and six older participants aged 38 to 50—was founded in 2013 to promote Bulgarian folk dances among compatriots in the region. Milkova shared that organizing the festival evolved from viewing it as a mere performance stage to understanding the detailed effort required to create a temporary “homeland” for hundreds of Bulgarians far from home.
The festival itself, organized by the Ot Izvora group, is an event for amateur folklore ensembles performing outside Bulgaria, with over 100 ensembles expected at the Munich gathering.
Topics: #ensemble #folk #ludi
