Balgarianovinite.com The folk dance club Zora from The Hague, Netherlands, will take part in the 11th edition of the traveling festival Expats Join Hands in Worldwide Dance, which will be held this year from May 15 to 17 at BMW Park in Munich, Germany.
The ensemble will perform the dance Roots, aiming “to express love for Bulgarian roots and traditions,” the group told BTA’s news service BG World.
The club’s choreographer, Esther Willems, seeks with this dance to convey affection for Bulgarian heritage, focusing on the Sredna Gora region (between the Balkan Mountains and the Upper Thracian Plain). Willems has developed a special interest in dances from this part of Bulgaria, partly thanks to her studies at South-West University in Blagoevgrad under teachers Nikolay Tsvetkov, Georgi Garov, and Albena Georgieva. She learned the original song and dance Igliko, Igliko directly from the still-active group of singers and dancers from the village of Bata, who participated as guest performers in a folklore seminar in Plovdiv in the summer of 2025.
The club Zora will perform the song Igliko, Igliko from Bata and continue with a specific straight horo from Sredna Gora, in which the tail forms a snail shape that then performs circular movements.
“This is a special way of dancing and moving together, where maintaining the formation is just as important as executing the steps. It is a dance form in which good cooperation is an essential and loving feature,” the club explained.
The dance concludes with Lamba, Lamba: “A type of kopanitsa in this region begins with the winding river. According to ancient legends, the dragon guards the water, the sacred spring, the quiet water, traditionally associated with origin and the continuation of life,” the ensemble said.
“Preparations for the festival are in full swing, especially the part of the choreography with live singing and recording the dancers’ voices, which for most is the first time performing in this form and presents an interesting challenge,” Zora added.
The group is looking forward to the trip to Munich, marking their fourth participation at the festival.
Currently, the club has over 50 dancers, of whom nearly 35 will travel to Munich. Their ages range from 12 to 68. “We always say we are like one big family, and there is a place for everyone. Our club includes three Dutch and one Italian dancer,” the group said. Folk Dance Club “Zora” from The Hague to Present “Roots” Dance in Munich 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-04-04 11:45:01 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law
