AUTHORS
Script-writer, Choreographer and Director: Neshka Robeva.

Assistant Choreographers: Marian Kourdov, Stefan Rachev, Peter Milev

Costume and Light Designer: Elena Ivanova, Anna Kirilova, Venera Valentinova

Music by: Iasmin Isinov and Zvetan Chobanov, Emil Nikolov, Georgi Andreev, Anita Christie, Zvetan Kolev and authentic folklore music from the heart of the Balkans.

Performers: Anita Christie, Venzislav Takev, Viki Almazidu, Panaiot Angelov, Veselin Mitev, Bojidar Andreev, Nikolai Andreev, Byisim Cen, Ahmed Basaran, Zvetan Kolev, Nelly Andreeva, Venzislav Georgiev, Velizar Zonev, Valeri Ukev, Ljubomir Kalchev, Ivan Ivanov, Peter Dimitrov, Petko Kanev and Snejana Borisova.

Lighting: Lalio Hristov, Georgie Bujukliev

Photographer: Temelko Temelkov

Solo Dancers:

Roumen Arsov, Aneta Avakjan, Peter Milev, Silvia Mladenova

Dancers:

Evgeni Stanev
Dimitar Stankev
Nikoleta Hristova
Teodora Kehaiova
Ioana Dinekova
Iliana Dinekova
Miglena Nedelcheva
Silvia Mladenova
Adelina Bojhichkova
Iva Spasova
Antonia Georgieva
Dimitrinka Ruseva
Polina Stefanova
Katia Nikolova
Valentin Ivanov
Vladimir Tzenov
Liudmil Makaronski
Mario Anastasov
George Shterev
Stefan Ratchev
Plamen Petkov
Vladimir Kostadinov
Milian Iliev
Tzvetomir Arnaudov
Tzviatko Tzvetkov

THE PERFORMANCE
Gypsy camp stops in a glade. While the young gypsies compete in dancing the elders lament loudly over their doom… In the midnight, when the moon rises the old gypsy bewitches the silver disc and takes it down to the ground to tell the fortune…

Highlanders in Pirin Mountain still remember and tell the legend of the two sworn brothers – aramii/outlaws – Iassen and Vulchan.

When the spring came, the two chieftains met in the Aramii Glade. Under the beat of the drums and the music of the zurias the two heroes competed in dancing, swore allegiance and parted till the next spring.

Iassen and Vulchan had never broken their auth, till they met Rada – beautiful and brave chieftain of a female wariors. The two man fall in love with her – Rada chose Iassen - Vulchan broke the auth and pull out a knife. They fought and killed each other. Their men left them on the Aramii Glade to take their leave of the wood and the stars. Rada followed them…

In the midnight black forces sprang out from the ground and pulled Vulchan down with them. There was no mercy for the perjurer….

Rada was left alone with Iassen when the Angel with the doves descended from the sky and took the soul of the proud chieftain… Rada followed them…

The procession stopped in the inn, where the friends of Iassen – Turks, Greeks and Vlachians were mourning the hero. They came one by one bringing their grief and started dancing the hero dances before the fatal fight and the merry dances from their feasts in the past…

The Angel put down everything in a book… When the time came to take the soul and carry it in Heaven, the old gypsy appeared… She shouted angrily at the Angel who took the soul of the hero without showing mercy to youth and love. She called the gypsies and they danced and sang and bewitched the Angel and she took them up in Heaven forgetting of Iassen and his soul…

Rada and Iassen could not believe their eyes, till they heard the merry song of the doves who were bringing the wedding-guests…

And the wedding festivities began…

The dance show Aramii is built on Bulgarian myths and legends, customs and believes. The aim of the authors is to popularize the culture of the ethnos, who have lived together for long centuries without knowing each other, presenting the traditional believes in different way - closer to our modern times.

The people believed that gypsies could bewitch the moon and take it down to the ground to tell the fortune.
The people believed that when a hero died his men had to carry him under their heads till the Angel came for his soul. This way he would pass them his strength.
The people believed that when a man died the Angel came down from Heavens accompanied by white doves and the Devil jumped from the black ground together with black crows. They took the man’s soul around the places he wandered before his death and judging by his deeds either the Angel took him in Heaven or the Devil took him in Hell.

Objects from the traditional style of leaving – usage and symbolic meaning

Broom
It cleans the house and keeps away the evil spirits. If a girl jumps over a broom – the men will dislike her. If a girl is hit with a broom – no body will like her, if she was swept by a broom she will never get married…

Yoke
Women used this wooden frame across their shoulders to carry buckets of water. But they used it for self-defense, too. According to the traditional law a woman used a yoke for self-defense is not put on a trial. A man beaten by a woman with yoke was ridiculed by the whole village.

Circle
The circle is made of wood. Bread was formed in loans on it before baking in the oven. When somebody was scared of something they cured him making him jump over the circle.