site.btaRhythmiKKA Folk Dance Group to Debut Nestinari Games Choreography

The folk dance group RhythmiKKA from Hamburg, Germany, will participate in the tenth edition of the traveling fair Na megdana na drugata Bulgaria [In the Public Square of the Other Bulgaria], held under the motto Sabrali mi se, sabrali [A band of young heroes have gathered] on June 6 to 8 at the Sports Palace in Lyon, France.

In an interview for the BG World section of BTA, Kamen Kunev, long-time dancer, director  and choreographer at RhythmiKKA, said that the group will debut a new choreography created especially for the festival, titled “Nestinari games”. He noted that the preparation turned out to be quite difficult due to the time constraint rules for the event.

Kunev added that this will be the ensemble's second participation in the traveling festival, the first being in 2018 in Milan.

He also spoke more about the history of the folklore formation, which was created in January 2014 by enthusiastic amateurs, "Bulgarians, united by their love for folklore and wishing to get involved in traditional Bulgarian horo dances”.

Over the years, the ensemble has developed and expanded its popularity, and a children's group has also been founded, Kunev pointed out.

The ensemble's programme includes various dances from all ethnographic regions of Bulgaria. More than 25 dance choreographies have been staged and performed by bouth younger and older dancers, he added.

Over the past ten years, RhythmiKKA has been successful both in Germany and abroad.

Kunev shared that at the moment RhythmiKKA is composed of 16 people who dance choreographies created and staged by him.

The RhythmiKKA Children's and Youth Dance Ensemble features 20 children aged between four and 14, and recently a group for complete beginners was also established.

Between April and June, BTA will present the participants in the in the tenth edition of the traveling fair Na megdana na drugata Bulgaria [In the Public Square of the Other Bulgaria], held under the motto Sabrali mi se, sabrali [A band of young heroes have gathered] on June 6 to 8 at the Sports Palace in Lyon, France. The event is organized by and for amateur folklore ensembles performing outside the borders of Bulgaria. Over the years, the festival has taken place in Montpellier, France (2016); Gandia - Valencia, Spain (2017); Milan, Italy (2018); Benidorm, Spain (2019); Verona, Italy (2020); Copenhagen, Denmark (2022); Prague, Czechia (2023); Palma de Mallorca, Spain (2024).