The Society of Folk Dance Historians

Videos

From 1993 to 1998, the Society conducted five ethnographic study tours of Bulgaria, visiting folk music, song, and dance ensembles around the country, training with them, and performing on stage. These clips demonstrate typical rehearsals and performances given for the Society in 1994.

• Gabrovche Ensemble: This group accepted trained adolescents. Those that demonstrated ability went on to dance with the professional Gabrovo Ensemble, with whom the Society performed in 1994. The rehearsal occurred in the Dom na Kultura (house of culture) in Gabrovo, north central Bulgaria.

Click here to view the video (19 mb)

• The following clip presents the pre-Gabrovche Ensemble. This group trained children and beginners as young as approximately five years old. Those who demonstrated ability went on to dance with the Gabrovche Ensemble.

Click here to view the video (22 mb)

• The following two clips present a lively group from Besarabia, in Moldavia, near the Black Sea and the Crimean Peninsula. Bulgarians relocated there in the early 19th century to escape virtual slavery under the Ottoman Empire. The displaced Bulgarians kept their language and some of their customs over the centuries through social groups such as this amateur ensemble, and the Bulgarian government brought this group to Bulgaria on tour to help them rekindle ties with the "old country."

Click here to view the first clip (18 mb)

Click here to view the second clip (30 mb)

If you cannot view the video click here to dowload the Quick time software.

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