“If we want to peer into the soul of one nation, we will do this best if we refer to its creative works.” thought the writer Dimitar Osinin. I experienced the really incredible feeling that I’ve touched the purest springs of the Bulgarian spirit when – filled with tenderness and rapture – for the first time I attended a concert of the youth folk dance ensemble Detelini (Clovers) from the balneological resort Pavel Banya, Stara Zagora district. I thought: How rich with feelings, emotions, impulse for beauty, freedom and love must this hardy Bulgarian soul of ours be to be able even with its arduous historical fate, all the endured pains and sufferings, to give birth to such temperamental dances and moving songs!

Maybe because it was created in a small town, the ensemble hasn’t yet acquired the popularity which it deserves. And it must be known, written about, shown, because it has a 15-year-long history and there almost isn’t a big international youth folk festival in Europe in which it hasn’t taken part and earned successes.

I found the artistic director and choreographer of Detelini – the charming Nedka Kavrakova at a rehearsal in the hall of the community center, preoccupied with preparations for the impending concert of the ensemble in Turkey.

Mrs. Kavrakova, how did you find courage to participate in events abroad?
We have never lacked courage. The first time we went abroad was in 1992 – only three years after the creation of the ensemble. We were invited for St. Nicholas’ Day by the Bulgarian Cultural Center in Bucharest. We also gave concerts for the children from the Bulgarian school there. I think that every Bulgarian embassy abroad can use the potential of the ensemble to please the Bulgarians living around the world. I realized that if they see us once, we can count on interest and invitations. The problem is that we don’t have the resources for so many trips. Still, our performances abroad aren’t few – we have visited Poland, Yugoslavia, three times Greece; in Romania we were placed at the top of the chart with the incredibly beautiful dance “Komitsko Libe”. Two years ago, in one of the few festivals with a chart in Bursa (Turkey), where we competed against capital ensembles from 20 countries, we took fourth place. But most of these festivals are not competitions and have no charts because the folklore of the different countries is incomparable.

How do the international performances affect the children?
Oh, the effect on them is incredible! And the place in the chart isn’t the most important stimulus for them. The opportunity to participate in events abroad, to gain self-confidence, to compare their level with the others, to get together and make friendships with children from other countries is more important. There they are no longer Detelini from Pavel Banya but they bear a poster with Bulgaria written on it, they are waving the Bulgarian flag, they are singing the Bulgarian national anthem, they feel proud that they are presenting their country and its culture. And – I dare say – little by little the cosmopolitan feeling that they are children of Europe, citizens of the world is born in them!

During our last visit to Istanbul, where the children were marvelous, I was left with the impression that they visibly changed during those 6-7 days. They felt the benefit of their practice and efforts, of their engaged with rehearsals free time. After this trip they come with a bigger desire, they put more efforts into the studies of foreign languages. There is a fire in them, a fierceness which I haven’t seen even in professional ensembles. Maybe this is the reason why they impress the audience so much…

The four-leaved clover – a symbol of happiness – is an excellent choice for an emblem of such a cheerful youth ensemble. Whose idea was the name?
The name was born in a totally democratic fashion. We didn’t have any specific ideas and decided to ask the children. They liked it and gave many suggestions, among which Detelini – the name was created by Penka Pudeva, a fifth grade student then. The children liked it very much to be like the four-leaved clovers – to bring luck and happiness to ourselves and the audience. That is how with this happy name we started our journey around the world.