The children's ensemble "Ruschklyche" from the Russe Community Children's Center for Culture and Art (ОбДЦКИ) represented their city and country at the 20th International Folklore Festival Vallarta Azteca in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. This renowned event, which has been running for over 20 years, attracted over 20 groups from countries such as Mexico, Bulgaria, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Colombia, Latvia, and many more. The festival included concerts, workshops, culinary presentations, and official visits, with the children from Russe fully participating in each stage.
Engaging Performances and Workshops
The official opening took place in Tomatlan, followed by a one-hour concert in San Sebastián del Oeste, where "Ruschklyche" performed dances from various ethnographic regions of Bulgaria. In the "Dance with Me" workshop, each group showcased a characteristic folk dance, with the children from Russe choosing the right horo (circle dance). Local media titled their reports "Bulgaria made the world dance the right horo," as participants from all delegations joyfully learned the basic steps of the right horo during the workshop.
Cultural Exchange and Recognition
The Russe delegation, upon invitation, met with the leadership of Puerto Vallarta and gifted traditional Bulgarian dolls and those in kuker costumes to the local museum. At the Cathedral of Santa Maria de Guadalupe, the dancers attended the Holy Liturgy and sang "Hubava si, moia goro!" (You are beautiful, my mountain!).
In the "Tastes of the World" culinary competition, "Ruschklyche" presented shopsk salad and princesses with yellow salt, winning the hearts of the jury and the audience. At the festive closing of the festival, each group was given about 40 seconds to perform a song from the festival's repertoire, with the children from Russe evoking the final enthusiasm of the grateful audience.
Under the guidance of choreographer Neli Garvalova and assistant choreographer Angel Ivanov, the ensemble demonstrated the uniqueness of Bulgarian rhythms, the distinctiveness of costumes, and the depth of our folkloric tradition, firmly establishing themselves as ambassadors of Bulgarian culture on the global stage. The ensemble's participation in the festival was made possible thanks to the financial support of the "Ruse - City of the Free Spirit" foundation.
This is exactly the kind of global cultural exchange we need more of! Seeing young Bulgarians sharing our unique traditions on such a big stage is truly inspiring. How can we support more of these exchanges in the future? Let's talk!