Village groups
These groups perform only the dances from their own village.

These dances are simple and repetitive and variations are usually performed only by individuals. These are the groups who take part in the festival in Koprivshtitsa which has been held around every five years since 1965, the last one being held in 1991, the next is hoped to be held in 1995. The political situation in Bulgaria makes the future of this festival very uncertain as it was funded by the State.
2) Amateur performing groups

These groups were formed in towns under the communist regime. Until the recent changes membership of these groups was very popular among children and teenagers as it could give them the opportunity to travel outside the country to perform. These groups perform choreographed suites of dances from all over Bulgaria, not just their own town or region. The choreographies are based on folk dances and folk customs, and when one watches one of these groups it is often possible to recognise parts of the dances that have been taught to us.
3) Professional performing groups (such as Philip Koutev Ensemble or Ensemble Trakiya)

These are based in the larger towns or regional centres and perform more complex choreographies than the amateur groups and have in the past travelled abroad quite extensively. Although it is still possible to recognise some folk elements in their performances their choreographies are normally far further from the folk idiom than those of the amateur groups.

http://www.eliznik.org.uk/Bulgaria/dance/index.htm

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