The 20th "Bulgaria Dances" international dance competition will be held in Dimitrovgrad at the end of November, said Tihomir Mitev, head and chief choreographer of the Galaxico Municipal Dance Art Centre. The organisers are preparing new prizes and free entry to international competitions for the winners.
Mitev spoke at the BTA National Press Club in Haskovo, where the October issue of LIK magazine was presented. The issue is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Varna Summer International Music Festival.
The prizes and opportunities are meant as an extra push for the winning dancers to keep developing beyond the national event.
Young performers show their skills to a professional jury and can win prizes, scholarships and a place at international academies. Mitev said this is a springboard to the big stages, and that performing motivates the dancers to sharpen their skills and take the next steps in their careers.
Last year, about 70 dance schools and roughly 1,600 performers took part. But Mitev said numbers are not what matters most: the lasting success of an event depends on the standard of the performances and on the chances it gives young artists.
The choreographer believes the competition makes Dimitrovgrad the big dancing heart of Bulgaria. Cultural events develop the arts and promote the host towns, he explained. They bring together performers, teachers and audiences, and young people get stage experience and feedback from professionals. Regular events build audiences and establish towns as centres for cultural gatherings.
Mitev said such events need persistence, partnership and the right conditions. Holding the contest for many years has made Dimitrovgrad a meeting place for young dance talent from across Bulgaria. He stressed the support of the local authorities for cultural life.
Music and dance are linked, the choreographer added. Music festivals give a stage to performers and composers, while dance events show how music comes alive through movement.
"Music is the food of ballet, of dance in general," Mitev said.