Ансамбъл "Нови Искър"
HISTORY
Ensemble "Novi Iskar" over the years
In the distant 1977, as a plan of the cultural program and by the Decision of the City People's Council - the city of Novi Iskar, the city Amateur Ensemble for Folk Songs and Dances / SANPT / was founded. The main artistic director is Valko Lyubenov - doctor of folklore music and dance, director, choreographer, teacher. Honored figure of culture, Vice-chairman of Commission No. 6 /folklore music and dances/ of IOV -UNESCO at the moment, Arbitrator of the journalistic commission WAFF EAFF; choir conductor is Pavlina Bedrova /former choir conductor of DANPT "Philip Kutev"/. The orchestra is from DANPT "F. Kutev". Intensive rehearsals begin. The population welcomes its creation with unprecedented interest. In just a few months, ANPT manages to prepare and win 2 gold medals from the Fourth RF for amateur art. There are opportunities for performances at regional and national level reviews, competitions, festivals, concerts, demonstrations. In this period until 1980, the main task was to satisfy the artistic needs of the town of Novi Iskar. The first participation in the International Folklore Festival was in 1978 in Burgas, and in 1980, its first appearance at the IFF in Nancy - France, where it worthily represented the city and our country. From its establishment to this day, the Ensemble has used only and exclusively the base of the "Hr. Botev" community center, Kurilo district, which has a cinema and stage, halls and rehearsal rooms. Its organizational strengthening and development is entirely the work of the community center actions. At the suggestion of the Secretary of the General Council for Culture - Dimitrinka Lazarova, in early 1981, the ANPT was transferred to the community center. An extra-budgetary account is used to transfer funds for the collective's expenses - fees, costumes, camp-schools, concert tours in the country and abroad. Since 1990, the maintenance of ANPT has been suspended and the financial capabilities of the community center are left. Regardless of the situation, the Novi Iskar Ensemble has managed to preserve its composition and activity, to continue to revive and preserve for the generation of our traditions, folk art and to maintain the artistic level of its repertoire. An important contribution to this is made by the participants themselves and the serious motivation they have. Despite the difficulties, the collectives - the dance group and the female choir - continue to work to this day. Some of the dancers over the years have created a male group for original folklore, which has managed to establish itself and become a calling card in the Novi Iskar region. In its 33 years of activity, it has recorded for the Bulgarian National Radio, Bulgarian National Television, films for BNT 1, BNT 2, etc. The group is led by Elena Bozhkova, who also leads the female folk choir "Omayni Glasove". They are part of the choir of the ANPT. The lack of finances does not allow the use of ensemble performances and the use of an orchestra, which is the essence of the Ensemble. A major role in the existence of such a collective is played by artistic directors who are prominent in your field. We are incredibly lucky to have professionally prominent choreographers, conductors and orchestrators working with us, who set an appropriate repertoire at a high level in relation to the capabilities of the performers. The "Novi Iskar" ensemble performs works by the doyens of folklore stage dance art - Margarita Dikova - choreographer, prof. Kiril Dzhenev - composer and musician, rector Dimitar Dimitrov - choreographer, Hristo Ivanov - choreographer, musical masterpieces by Filip Kutev, and other artists in the field of folklore art. Choreographers such as: Yordan Yanakiev; Hristo Ivanov; Petar Zahariev; Stoyan Dimitrov; Valery Gaganelov, who is still working. Choir conductors were Pavlina Bedrova - conductor of DANPT "Philip Koutev"; Valentin Yankov; Elena Bozhkova - soloist of Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices, who has been working with us for 33 years. The numerous participations on our and international stages, the won prizes and the love of the audience did not oblige to restore the status of the Ensemble on the eve of its 45th anniversary.
Nancy - France - 1980; Kiev, Moscow, Leningrad - Russia - 1983; Ioannina, Greece - 1987, 1990; Agrigento, Italy - 1994; Skornichesti, Romania - 1996; Rouen - France - 1999. ;Ismailia, Egypt - 2002; Pütlingen, Germany - 2003; Normandy, France - 2004; Istanbul, Turkey - 2005; Belgrade, Serbia - 2006; Rouen, France - 2007; Porto, Portugal - 2008; Rouen, France - 2010, 12; Shanghai, Luoyang, Beijing, China - 2013; Bosnia and Herzegovina - 2014; Ohrid, Macedonia - 2015; Normandy, France - 2016; "Tempi Valley" - Greece - 2017; Durres, Albania - 2018; Rouen, Etretat, Valmont, Saint-Saens - France - October 2019, "International Folklore Festival "Black Sea Pearls" - Bulgaria-2021; Montenegro 2022: Georgia 2023: France 2024: Tunisia 2025.
