Established in 1947, Folklore Ensemble Mezdra is renowned for its exceptional variety of dances, encompassing all the folklore regions of Bulgaria. The ensemble's chief artistic director and choreographer is Miroslav Asparuhov.
The repertoire features dances from all ethnographic regions of Bulgaria, along with choreographic works by some of the most celebrated figures in Bulgarian folk dance, including Prof. Kiril Dzhenev, Prof. Daniela Dzheneva, Ivan Todorov, Todor Bekirski, Todor Karapchanski, Kiril Haralampiev, and others.
Decades of dedicated effort, immense passion for Bulgarian folk dance, and accumulated experience have borne remarkable fruit. Through its participation in national and international festivals, the Mezdra Ensemble has become a proud ambassador of Bulgarian culture, glorifying the name of its hometown, Mezdra.
In 2022, the Folklore Ensemble Mezdra marked its 75th anniversary, celebrating the milestone with a grand concert-performance titled "Let's Stay Rich" in Hall 1 of the National Palace of Culture, Sofia, on April 18, 2023.
Chief artistic director and choreographer of Folklore Ensemble "Mezdra" since 2004
A graduate of the Academy of Music, Dance, and Fine Arts "Prof. Assen Diamandiev" in Plovdiv, majoring in Bulgarian Folk Choreography, he is an active member of several prestigious organizations, including the IGF Board of Directors, the CIOFF National Council, the Dancers' Association, the Union of Amateur Art Organizations (SOLI), and the International Folk Dance Organization (IFDO - Turkiye).
With a grand concert held in Hall 1 of the National Palace of Culture in 2023, the Mezdra Ensemble celebrated its 75th anniversary.
read more The ensemble has earned numerous international awards from competitions and festivals and has been honored with an honorary diploma titled "Guardians of Folklore Traditions in Dance Art" by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Bulgaria.
Currently, the ensemble consists of students, university graduates, and professionals from various fields. Its membership exceeds 200 dancers, divided into six age groups and one representative dance ensemble, which features the finest dancers who have graduated from the ensemble's school.
In 2024, the Folklore Ensemble Mezdra was named the TV viewers' favorite in the "Top 10 Bulgarian Dance Folklore" competition.
read moreThe Folklore Ensemble "Mezdra" earned this prestigious distinction in a highly contested competition involving 14 other leading amateur dance groups and ensembles from across the country. These groups were selected to participate in the final stage of the "Top 10 Bulgarian Dance Folklore" competition, held in Hall 1 of the National Palace of Culture, Sofia, in 2023.
read more Folklore Ensemble Mezdra celebrated its 75th anniversary with a grand concert-performance in Hall 1 of the National Palace of Culture in 2023. On April 18, 2023, the ensemble presented a powerful story—an emotional tale of a beautiful girl who, blinded by the material wealth of her chosen one, decides to abandon her faith for a foreign one.
Through this performance, the beauty and richness of Bulgarian folklore came to life on the stage of Hall 1. The story unfolded through the eyes of the girl, whose journey took the audience back to the deep Bulgarian roots we must cherish and preserve to safeguard our identity as a people.