site.btaOslo-Based Folk Dance Group I-HA to Perform Shopsko Dance at Munich Festival

The Bulgarian folk dance group I-HA from Oslo will perform a Shopsko dance competition piece at the 11th Expats Join Hands in Worldwide Dance travelling festival, to be held in Munich from May 15 to 17, group leader Miroslava Georgieva told BTA.

The performance is inspired by this year’s festival theme, "Libe Le, Libe Hubavo", and aims to recreate the playful spirit, energy and humour of Bulgarian folk traditions.

Georgieva said the choreography was created collectively by the dancers themselves, without a professional choreographer, as part of the group’s ongoing effort to preserve Bulgarian folklore abroad.

She added that 21 dancers aged between 11 and over 60 will take part in the performance.

Founded in Oslo in 2014, I-HA brings together people of different ages and nationalities through Bulgarian folk dances and regularly participates in festivals and cultural events in Norway and abroad.

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.