Workshop Overview
For the past two years, we've been developing a small community in Bulgaria called Balfolkariya, fostering interest in various European folk dances. Inspired by the balfolk movement across Europe, a curious idea emerged: can we blend balfolk elements into the intricate Bulgarian traditional dances? So let's try?
The workshop is divided into three parts.
Workshop Schedule
1st Part: Introduction and Shyrto Dance (30 min)
- Topic: Commonalities and differences between Balfolk and Bulgarian traditional dances.
- Activities:
- Small discussion and overall presentation of both dance styles and getting to know each other.
- Learning a Shyrto dance from the Macedonian folklore region.
- Demonstration and brainstorming on how to make Shyrto more "balfolky"- it's quite balfolky already.
- The dance is in a 7/8 rhythm with a long 3rd beat, suitable tunes include the very famous "Lilyano mome" and "Ayde Yano".
2nd Part: Learning Abdai Dance (15 min)
- Topic: Learning Bulgarian dance called Abdai ( Northern folklore region of Bulgaria)
- Activities:
- Learning one version of Abdai.
- The dance has incredible music in a 9/8 rhythm with a long 4th beat.
3rd Part: Creating a New Dance (45 min)
- Activities:
- Analysing the dance, and discussing which parts are worth keeping and which maybe not ...
- Simplifying the steps from Abdai.
- Adding some balfolk features to it.
- Dancing it all together as a new creation.
This schedule ensures a fast comprehensive exploration of both dance styles, fostering creativity and cultural exchange. Enjoy the workshop!
Tutors: Diana Todorova(BG) & Arwen Sentis (FR)