Colourful dances, lively folk music, youth and… lots of fun – that is what the Gold Dust International Folklore Festival in the village of Chelopech (23-26 July) will be remembered for. This was only the second edition of the festival but it left the feeling of a tradition going back many years. An intriguing concert programme, a hotly contested competition with prizes well worth the effort, lots of emotions for audience and participants alike. And a wonderful stage put up in a unique park with a name that is difficult to pronounce – Korminesh. All this combined to make the event an inspiring experience, say the participants from the groups that came from Turkey, Slovakia, Romania, Italy and Bulgaria.

Dana Kovalcikova is head of the Rosemaria ensemble, presenting the folklore of Eastern Slovakia. The young dancers from the ensemble have added modern elements to the traditional steps as well as humorous sketches in Bulgarian that won the audience’s applause.

“The formation was set up 22 years ago,” says Mrs. Kovalcikova. “We have taken part in 72 international festivals, we have toured Europe, we have performed in India, in Turkey. Before we came here we took a look at the map. We saw we were going to a very small village and our expectations weren’t very high. We are delighted with the mayor of Chelopech Mr. Kesyakov and his team, with the way the festival was organized, with the atmosphere and the venue itself. We were told that gold was mined in the vicinity of the village but I think that these people carry gold in their hearts.”

The original music and dances presented by the Romanian guests from the town of Bistritsa in Transylvania were a real treat for the audience. The group presented shepherds’ folklore and their costumes were incredible. “We expressed our love of tradition. I would like to thank everyone who made our stay here unforgettable. We had so much fun here,” says one of the dancers from the group.

The contest took place on July 25; according to the rules it was open only to Bulgarian performers.

“It was so difficult to select the winners, especially for the dance ensembles,” says Daniela Jeneva, member of the jury. “We had some excellent ensembles with original dances, presented magnificently. There is a contest for new works, for soloists and groups and the prizes are very generous.”

“There were performances by some wonderful young people – proof that tradition is alive. But there should be more new works by young authors in the sphere of folklore,” says choreographer Dimitar Manov.

Composer and conductor of the Bulgarian National Radio Folk Music Orchestra Dimitar Hristov was also a member of the jury.

“It was a hotly contested competition presenting practically all folklore regions of Bulgaria, though most were from the Shoppe region around Sofia. Many professional dance groups can only marvel at the skill of the so-called amateurs. Special thanks to the organizers. I was told Chelopech had a population of only 1,500. It is unbelievable that they were able to put on a festival like this.”

Among the dozens of dance groups, first place went to the Folklore Ensemble from the town of Mezdra.

The Gold Dust festival brought together thousands. At the gala concert on the last night the groups coming from abroad had prepared surprises for their Bulgarian hosts and for the audience. Each group performed one Bulgarian song or dance. The young dancers from the Anatolian folklore formation were particularly colourful. They put on traditional Bulgarian costumes they had been given by the Chelopech community culture club and were given a big hand for the dance they performed. The event was symbolically hosted by the ensembles of Chelopech village, including the young dancers from the Izvorcheta (water fountains) children’s ensemble:

“Performing at the opening and the ending of the international event was an honour, a responsibility and an incredible emotion for us,” says Valentin Ivanov, head of the children’s ensemble. “I am grateful for the opportunity to work with the children from the Hans Christian Andersen kindergarten and to show what we have been working on during the year. The audience really loved the children and we received invitations from all foreign groups to guest perform. To my mind that is an incredible success.”

Before the fireworks, Mayor Alexy Kesyakov invited his team of enthusiasts on stage – the 15 municipality officials. Mrs. Bogdanova, artistic director of the event announced work was getting underway to prepare for the third edition of the Gold Dust festival.

English version: Milena Daynova