The Folk Music and Dance Seminar Plovdiv was held at the Academy of Music, Dance, and Fine Arts in the the Old Town area of Plovdiv from July 31st to August 6, 2025.
The folk dance classes featured regional/village dancers from various folklore areas of Bulgaria, assisted by English-speaking dance staff, with four sessions per day. Three of these were instructional and the final one was a review and videotaping.
Friday 1 August: Pirin: Marikostinovo Village, Blagoevgrad region in mountainous southwest Bulgaria. The music for these classes (two zurlas and a tupan) was so very loud that neither of us could stay in the dance hall, nuch as we like Pirin dances, so we missed nearly all of the session. Luckily this was the only sesssion that was anywhere near that loud.
Daces from Pirin: Valeri Zhganov Dance Group "Ilinden" and their time signatures:
Deninka 7/8 b
Oy Mariyo 7/8 b
Drama 5/4+5/4+3/4; 9/16 a
Eski 5/4; 2/4
Ginka 7/8 b
Hadzhibelik 7/8 b
Saturday 2 August: East Thrace: Kozichino Vllage, Burgas region, in southeast Bulgaria.
Dances from East Thrace: Amateur group for authentic folklore Erkech (Kozichiko Village) "Erekechko nasledstvo" and their time signatures:
Pravo erkechko horo 2/4
Staro erkechko horo 2/4
Ovchata 2/4
Kalgamashkata 2/4
Turskiya 2/4
Paidushkata 2/4
Sunday 3 August: Shopluk: Bistritsa Village, Sofia region in western Bulgaria, with the Bistritsa Ensemble, including the Bistritsa babi ("grannies").
Dances from Shopluk Bistritsa village Ensemble "Bistritsa" and "The Bistritsa Babi" and their time signatures:
Pravo horo 2/4
Sitnata 2/4
Paidushko "Tsvetitse le" 5/8
Pokarala bela Neda 7/8 b
Begala Neda 11/8
Yovino 7/8 b + 11/8
Bistritshka kopanitsa 11/8
Vodeno horo 2/4
Chetvorno 7/8 b
Velo mome 2/4
Monday 4 August: West Thrace: Buta village, Pazardzhik region, in southern Bulgaria.
Dances from West Thrace Buta village Ensemble "Iglika" and their time signatures:
Igliko, Igliko 2/4
Kokicheto 11/8
Bre Todore 11/8
Rachenitsa 7/8 a (individual)
Tuesday 5 August: North Bulgaria: Asparuhovo Village, Montana region, in northwest Bulgaria between the Danube River and the Balkan Mountains.
Dances from Northwest Bulgaria Asparuhovo village Asen Asenov and Folk Formation "Igrivite Opinki" and their time signatures:
Rakovata 2/4
Torlashko - from Sumer 2/4
Povartulki - from Sumer 2/4
Lomska rachenitsa - from Sumer 7/8 a
Shalauna - from Sumer 2/4
Grancharsko - from Sumer 9/8 b
Kulska shumadia - from Sumer 2/4Sitnata postareshki - from Sumer 2/4
Wednesday 6 August: Dobrudzha: Silistra town, Silistra region, in northeast Bulgaria between the lower Danube River and the Black Sea.
Dances from Dobrudzha Silistra town Club for authentic and stage folklore "Dobrudzha" and their time signatures:
Pravo horo s prichukvane 2/4
Raka - from Kalipetrovo 2/4
Sborenka - from Kutlovitsa and Alekovo 2/4
Tsvete milo 7/8 a
Talima - from Kutlovitsa 2/4
Chesta - from Professor Ishirkovo 2/4
Ishvarli kondak 9/8 a
Mazhki rachenik 7/8 a (individual)
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Last modified 5 December 2025