I attended
my first folk dance session twenty years ago, hoping to add some
physical activity--beyond running for subway trains--to my life.
I quickly discovered that it satisfied much more: the thrill of
learning something entirely new, stretching myself in an untired
dimension; the pleasure of participating harmoniously in a group
while stretching my individual part in it; and the utter joy of
discovery, itself, of dancing to unfamiliar yet beautiful music.
Perhaps not
ready to handle all that joy at once, I stopped to explore other
things, such as dance exercise. After a hiatus of about four years,
I returned to the same folk dance session and immediately decided
to join a group visiting Bulgaria during a folk dance event held
every five years (now, annually) in which the participants were
judged chiefly on authenticity of style rather than on imaginative
choreographies, and who were, on average, twice my age. Ah! An
activity I could keep doing for a long time!
Joining Bosilek
a few years later brought another level of learning, particularly
the rich variety of characteristic styles of dance from the several
distinct regions of an otherwise tiny country. The genius of Bosilek's
artistic director continues to inspire each of us to attempt to
achieve the beauty she is always able to see.
