Author: Gabriela Alexandrova
The art of contemporary dance is well known and has many fans all over Europe, but not in Bulgaria.
There has been only one forum for contemporary dance in Plovdiv in recent years - The International festival for dance and contemporary dance “The black box”. Its’ 16-th edition in 2021 continued nearly a month, but again it passed quietly tiptoeing. This was the reason for our meeting with Boryana Tengulova - choreographer-director of modern dance techniques (this is actually the exact name of the master's program at the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts in Plovdiv).
Boryana has a fiery character, but she speaks with restraint about the place of contemporary dance in her life and about her aspiration to make it a part of the life of more people in Plovdiv. She has started dancing a little late, but before that she had already practiced rhythmic gymnastics. She leaves the sport with the most important thing - discipline. At the age of 33, she goes to dance therapy school. There, professional dancers not only train her, but also involve her directly in their projects. After a few visits, she realises that she can no longer live without dancing and dancing is becoming a vital necessity for her. It gives her the confidence to express herself through movement. She is lucky to study with good choreographers modern dance becomes her new passion. This is the start of Boyana's work on popularisation of this new art in Plovdiv.
“These dances break the framework of classical ballet from the 20th century. Through the various techniques of movement they complete it, fill in the gaps", the choreographer thinks and claims that ballet is the beginning, the basis. It perfects the body, and modern dance enables the artist to develop "personal" expression, to show their attitude to universal problems.”
“Yes, it’s harder to read it. It takes patience and time for the audience to accept the avantgarde”, Boryana believes. She bitterly shares her disappointment that government funding for culture is insufficient, and when it comes to contemporary dance, things are at the bottom. There is money only for some, chosen by unclear criteria.
There are two professional studios in Plovdiv that develop contemporary dance- "Pantarey" and "Duende". Boryana Tengulova together with her colleague Dragomir Yordanov created a non-profit association "Dance Company Rara Avis" five years ago with the mission to promote the art of contemporary dance. They look for different ways to reach the hearts of the audience. Including it in their interactive performances, they find the points of contact with the rich Bulgarian folk music. This way they try to show what contemporary dance is and how it can influence the upbringing and aesthetics. Their experience shows that this art is beneficial for people of all ages.
It has been scientifically proven that endorphins, which are released in the brain, are the most abundant in dance, and the music which it is danced to, triggers the release of dopamine. The result is a good mood and happy smiles. In addition, modern dance can help with physical problems, says Boryana, based on her experience with children. Adolescents are flexible and express themselves without worry. And self-expression is the focus of contemporary dance. Because, as Martha Graham (one of the pioneers of this art) claims, dance is the hidden language of the soul.
Photos: Mila Penkova