Roses Across The Sea

Roses Across The Sea is a live performance of Bulgarian and Georgian folk dances & songs as part of the 6^th GORANA International Dance festival. The rose is the national flower of both Bulgaria and Georgia, as well as the state flower of New York. Roses will be an integrative part of the performance as decoration and props in some dances.

It might well be said of this beautiful flower, that nature has exhausted herself in trying to lavish on it the freshness of beauty, form, perfume, brilliancy, and grace.

— Charlotte de la Tour

In everything from mythology and literature to religion and politics, the rose has been prized for its beauty and continues to be strongly associated as the most symbolically rich flower. The red rose is the queen of all roses with its symbolism for passion, deep desire and romantic love dating back to ancient times. The white rose is associated with reverence, truth and new beginnings like marriage. The pink rose is associated with admiration, gentleness, elegance, sweetness and happiness.

In Bulgaria, the rose is often found in embroideries and local art. Every June, local Bulgarian communities in the Rose Valley organize the Rose Festival with the Rose Queen contest. On the coronation day, the whole city flows to the streets where the Rose Parade is held. A group of men carry the Rose Queen who is wreathed in pink and showers guests with petals. As a rule, the holiday ends in the late evening with a big "horo" line dance in which everyone takes part.

 

 

A note from Elissaveta

Artistic Director, Producer & Choreographer

Each performer in Roses Across The Sea holds a passion, in his or her own way, for exploring the new meanings and relevance of traditional practices in our contemporary world thousands of miles away from Bulgaria.

On a professional level, we look for interdisciplinary links. On a personal level, we see our engagement in Bulgarian folk art not only as vital sharing of our artistic expression, but also as a way to connect our roots with our new home in the US, helping young Bulgarian-Americans born here build a relationship with their origins.