Bulgarian Folk Dnace Club

In a remote northern neighbourhood of Sofia, at the ground floor of a big gray appartments buliding I have found a little folk dance studio. During the day the place works as a creative motion center for kids and twice a week at evening time, a group of about 20 people gather to have a session of "dance therapy" as said Staliyna, a lawyer from Sofia, "here I can get the work stress out of the system and recharge myself with fresh positive energy."





The ages are mid 20's to mid 40's, all are working professionals, city people. Some come from towns around Sofia, some from near. Most of the dancers, like the rest of the Sofia people came to the city from villages and towns all over Bulgaria to attend the universities, and stayed to live here. Like the dancers, the traditional dances are also originated in different parts of Bulgaria, North, South, valley and mountain. The mountain dance is more of a "heavy footstep" dance and like the people of the mountain is heavier and slower than the vally dance that is more light and fast.





The club has no name, no logo and is not a bussines. There is a wooden soup bowl where each dancer puts 2 Lv (3$) at the end of each session and that is the budget of the club to rent the space and to buy things that they need. Maggy, the choriographer and instructor is volunteering her time. It feels like a big faimly.