site.btaTrakia Folk Dance Group from Mainz to Perform at Expats Join Hands in Worldwide Dance Festival in Munich

Trakia folk dance group from Mainz, Germany, will take part in the 11th Expats Join Hands in Worldwide Dance travelling festival, which will be held from May 15 to May 17 at BMW Park in Munich.

"We will present a dance based on this year’s festival theme in Munich, ‘Libe le, libe hubavo’, which is both beautiful and playfully connected to the language of the hosts in Munich. There is a village square, a maiden, a young man… the rest will be seen on stage," Marina Petrova, head of the Bulgarian Sunday School Trakia in Mainz and coordinator of the dance group, told BTA.

She noted that the choreography is by Anna Staneva, set to music by gadulka player Georgi Petrov.

The idea for the formation emerged during folk dance classes for children and parents at the Bulgarian Sunday School Trakia in Mainz. Under the guidance of artistic director Temenuzhka Ganeva and administrative coordinators Marina Petrova and Mladen Denchev, the group brings together dancers aged 14 and above, Bulgarians from different parts of the country.

"We meet and dance every week, united and driven by our love for Bulgarian folklore. Everyone is welcome to experience its richness and join the horo. We already have numerous stage performances, mainly in Mainz and the region, but also beyond Germany. A favourite event for us is the Expats Join Hands in Worldwide Dance travelling festival, for which we have been preparing every year since 2020. There we meet wonderful people, like-minded participants, friends and ambassadors of Bulgarian culture around the world," Petrova said.

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.