A life of an artist lived and told through dance
Dear friends,
I must admit that I needed some time to think over what had happened, to select photographs among the thousands taken, and to gather the reactions of the audience (colleagues from the academic community of Varna Free University, colleagues choreographers, friends and people whom I don’t know, but who came after the show to congratulate us).
I hope that you will like this publication, that it will once again bring you closer to our folklore art, and will make you feel proud Bulgarians with the artistic work of Prof. Petar Angelov.
14th July – the day we celebrated the 70th anniversary and 50 years of artistic work of our renowned professor Petar Angelov. “A Life with the Soul of Dance”, a concert and a performance based entirely on Prof. Angelov’s own dance works, which have become paragons of our classical folklore dance art.
The dancers on the stage were extremely emotional, their faces beaming, they weren’t dancing but flying. They performed each dance, conveying that particular emotion which is unique to the relevant folklore region, making the audience tremble with excitement and feel the Bulgarian spirit which has preserved us through time.
“We could not take a breath. The minute some dancers were leaving the stage, others were taking their place. It was so colourful and beautiful. Such costumes brought together on a single stage I had not seen before. Youth and energy. Mastery of performance. They are so young and yet such accomplished professional dancers.”
“What have you done? A miracle! Such a grand performance! Every detail was thought over. Dancing was flowing while the text on the screen added to it and inspired (the texts appearing on the screen are parts of the book with the same title “A Life with the Soul of Dance”, compiler Maria Kardzhieva).”
“Not a grand performance but a miracle it was that you created!”
These are only some of the opinions shared by the audience after the performance. And the masterly performance was given by:
• Academic dance theatre at Varna Free University “Chernorizets Hrabar” with artistic directors Maria Kardzhieva and Ivaylo Ivanov;
• Representative Dance Ensemble at the National School of Humanities and Arts "Konstantin Preslavski" Varna, with artistic directors Ivaylo Ivanov and Ina Radeva;
“The Soul of Dance” was also performed by former dancers from the Professional Ensemble for Folklore Songs and Dances Varna, and was joined by former singers, who brought extra vividness to the show with their incredible voices.
Not only did citizens of Varna come to Prof. Angelov’s anniversary but also representatives of the professional guild across the country. At the end the stage was too small to take all the flowers.
For significant contributions to the development of Varna Free University "Chernorizets Hrabar" and for his 70th anniversary, Professor Angelov was awarded Academic Chains of Office "Chernorizets Hrabar" with gold.
The Union of the Bulgarian Musicians and Dancers awarded the professor with a crystal necklace for excellence in the field of dance art.
“A Life with the Soul of Dance”. A life of an artist lived and told through dance.
Text: Maria Kardzhieva, PhD
