Bulgarian dance group Sofia6 performs at Fiesta Friday

Members of the Bulgarian folk dance group Sofia6 pose for a photo after their performance last Friday at the Fiesta Friday in Garapan. (CHRYSTAL MARINO)

A visiting dance group from Bulgaria that is set to participate in a folk dance festival in Guam later this week performed a series of traditional dances and songs on the Fiesta Friday stage last Friday at the CNMI Museum Grounds.

The 18-member traditional dance group, Sofia6, wowed one of Fiesta Friday’s larger crowds, with the group’s performance evoking smiles and lightheartedness as members of the community, old and young, not only looked on but later also participated as Sofia6 members taught the audience one of their dances. The closing performance drew many individuals to the front of the stage, creating a circle, then a snake line, as they learned and participated in the folk dance as well.

Sofia6 is in this part of the world to participate in the first Mariana Islands International Dance & Arts Festival, which will take place on April 27 to 30 in Guam.

Sofia6 choreographer and director Nikolay Nestorov said their group was immediately made to feel welcome upon arriving on Saipan.

“Saipan is the place we have always dreamed of, and we were amazed by the warm greeting at the airport and the amazing people here, and we feel at home,” he said.

He said they’ve been organizing an international folklore festival in Bulgaria’s capital, Sofia, for 27 years, and it was through this that they became familiar with the dances of the Marianas. “A couple of years ago, we had invited a group from Guam, so we are familiar with your cultural dances and life…,” Nestorov said. For this year, they have once again invited a Guam delegation to participate in the 28th edition of the Bulgaria festival.

When asked if they would visit Saipan again, Nestorov said, “Yes, of course, it would be a pleasure for us. We want to explore your culture lifestyle a lot more.”

One of the dancers, Anelia Lukanova, said they are “very happy to see such a warm people here on this beautiful island. We were very blessed, really, to see the beauty and hope that soon we are going to learn more about your culture. We enjoyed the food, we enjoy the weather, so really it was a paradise for us. Thank you for inviting us!”

Members of the community join Sofia6 in performing a traditional dance during the Fiesta Friday last Friday in Garapan. (CHRYSTAL MARINO)

The group was initially brought in to perform on the Annual Flame Tree Arts Festival stage, but with the event’s postponement, the team has, nonetheless, still been able to share their rich culture and bring smiles to many on island, visiting the Man’Amko Center, the Office of the Mayor, calling on Gov. Arnold I. Palacios, and also performing last Saturday at the American Red Cross event in Susupe and yesterday at the Mt Carmel School auditorium. They will be performing this morning at Marianas High School. They also took a traditional ride on one of 500 Sail’s canoes.

The group will be departing today, Tuesday, for Guam where they will participate in the Mariana Islands Dance Festival.

As an acclaimed international dance group, Sofia6 has received many awards, including its sixth world award at the Estampas del Mundo in Mexico City in 2016. The group also won first prizes at the International Folklore Festival in Albania in 2021, the International Folk Music and Dance Festival in Serbia in 2020, and the Grand Prix at the International Folklore Festival in Romania in 2020.