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 from May 15 to 17 at BMW Park in Munich. The ensemble’s director, Iva Milkova, announced that their performance, titled “In the Embrace of the Flame,” will depict a love story resilient to adversity. Milkova stated the dance draws inspiration from the Nestinarstvo fire-dancing rite, symbolizing eternal devotion to both people and Bulgarian traditions.
She explained that the performance aims to remind the audience of the nation’s history, emphasizing that unity and tradition have been its enduring strength, presenting a dual tribute to personal love and cultural heritage. The choreography is structured in two parts: an introduction featuring free, rhythm bagpipe music, followed by a more dynamic section incorporating combinations 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 expressed that the performance encourages reflection on the sacrifices made for any form of love, ultimately leading the audience toward a consideration of personal choice and moral conviction. The Ludi-Mladi ensemble, founded in 2013, aims to promote Bulgarian folk dance among compatriots. Milkova shared that the ensemble’s role in hosting the festival evolved from seeing it as a mere performance stage to understanding it as creating a temporary “homeland” for Bulgarians far from home.
The festival itself, organized by the Ot Izvora group, is expected to host over 100 dance ensembles and 4,000 guests in Munich.
Topics: #ensemble #folk #ludi
