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 enduring love, both personal and directed toward Bulgarian culture and tradition.
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. The choreography is structured in two parts: an introduction featuring free, rhythm bagpipe music, followed by a more energetic section incorporating combinations of the Kopanitsa and a rearrangement of the horo dance Aidar Abasi. The creative team includes choreographers Nikolay Zagorov, Evgenia Ivanova, and Preslav Varbanov.
Milkova noted the performance’s deeper message, urging the audience to reflect on the sacrifices made for love, regardless of the object of that affection, ultimately guiding personal choice and inner conviction. The Ludi-Mladi ensemble, which comprises twelve Bulgarian dancers—six students aged 18 to 24 and six older members aged 38 to 50—was founded in 2013 to promote Bulgarian folk dances among compatriots in the region. Milkova reflected on the festival, noting that hosting the event required meticulous planning to create a “temporary ‘homeland'” for hundreds of Bulgarians abroad.
The festival itself, organized by the Ot Izvora group, is designed for amateur folklore ensembles performing outside Bulgaria, with the 11th edition in Munich anticipating over 100 ensembles and 4,000 guests.
Topics: #ensemble #folk #ludi
