The folklore group Ahinora from Rome, Italy will participate in the eleventh edition of the travelling festival Expats Join Hands in Worldwide Dance, which this year will take place at BMW Park in Munich, Germany from May 15 to 17.
“We are facing a great challenge and excitement – to participate in an already popular folklore festival,” the group said for BTA’s news service BG World.
They will perform the dance “Zadyavka” (“Tease”) in the style of the Bulgarian folklore region of Thrace. The choreography was created by the group’s leader Rositsa Mircheva, a longtime dancer with the Haskovo Professional Dance Ensemble and the Kitna Trakia Representative Ensemble for Folk Songs and Dances. The performers will be the eight founding members of Ahinora.
“The dance depicts the love, thrill, and playful teasing between two young people, as well as the exciting moment of parental blessing. The choice is no coincidence – this year’s festival theme is love,” the group said.
The dancers are compiling a repertoire with the goal of having even more performances next year, showcasing the beauty of Bulgarian folklore in Italy. “For now, we are the heart of all events at the Abagar Bulgarian Sunday School, but our ambitions look far ahead,” the group told BTA.
The idea for Ahinora emerged in September 2025, and very soon, on December 8, the group began its activities. Established under the Virtu Cultural Association and the Abagar Bulgarian Sunday School in Rome, the group Ahinora started its journey with eight enthusiasts. Today, only a few months later, they are already 18.
The dancers’ mission is “to keep the root alive.” “No one can take our roots away,” commented Mircheva. “Bulgaria is our homeland and we strive to represent it with dignity, wherever we are.”
“These are not just words. Each member of the group carries their own story and destiny, and life abroad is not always easy. But the rehearsal hall has become our place,” the group said.
“As banal as it may sound… holding hands, we pass positive energy and strength to each other. All of us are proof that Bulgaria is within us, wherever we are,” Mircheva added.
The travelling festival Expats Join Hands in Worldwide Dance is organized by and for amateur folklore ensembles performing outside Bulgaria. The initiative was launched by the Ot Izvora group in Lyon, France, which hosted both the first edition in 2015 and the tenth edition in 2025. More than 100 dance ensembles and over 4,000 guests are expected at the 11th edition in Munich in May. The Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) is the official media partner of the event and will present all participants.