Marieta Mircheva - choreographer, performer
Marieta has been with "Ludo Mlado" since 2005. She has started dancing at the age of eight with folk-dance ensemble "Zdravets." With the group she had performed at over a hundred concerts in Bulgaria, Turkey, Italy, Macedonia, and Romania. Marieta began her formal folk dance education at the National School of Dance and Choreography in Sofia, Bulgaria. During her school years there,
she has danced with the school’s ensemble and with ensemble "Iskar." In 2001, Marieta and her sister Neli founded the folk dance formation "The Roses”; a group dedicated to spread the Bulgarian tradition by performing dances from different ethnographic regions of Bulgaria.
Petar Petrov- Artistic Director of Ludo Mlado Dance Ensemble
A native of Bulgaria, Peter is an accomplished choreographer, dance teacher and performer. Founder of Ludo Mlado in 1999, his goal is to make Bulgarian folk dance and music accessible to a wider audience.
Prior to his departure for the US, Peter was dancing professionally with “Rodopa” State Folk Dance Ensemble. Since the age of seven he has danced with numerous school ensembles many of which won outstanding awards in city-wide and national-international competitions.
Since arriving in USA in 1993, Peter has taught many classes and workshops throughout the United States. His first major appearance as a choreographer and dancer in USA was in 1994 during the opening ceremony of soccer's World Cup with Chicago- based folk dance group “Balkanski Igre” representing his native country, Bulgaria. From 1994 to present, Peter and his groups have participated in a wide range of dance festivals throughout the United States.
Erica Nielsen is a dance researcher, choreographer, and performer. She studied Anthropology at Macalester College in Minnesota, and received a Masters of Fine Arts degree in Dance from Arizona State University with emphasis on Bulgarian dance and culture.
Growing up in Bulgaria, Ele Vidolova grew to love Bulgaria's rich folklore by going to the village fest (sabor) in her grandparent's villages and dancing in the cultural house (chitalishte) with her friends. She joined Ludo Mlado in the fall of 2005 and has been dancing with the group since then.
Born in Sofia, Bulgaria Theodora Mara moved to the U.S.A. at the age of 9. An avid bicyclist, yogurt enthusiast, amateur photographer and frequent traveler she also holds a Music Business & Management Degree from Berklee College of Music and continues to work in live concert and event operations.
Originally from Sofia, Bulgaria, where Silvia Tacheva practiced rhythmic gymnastics with training by Neshka Robeva. After coming to the US, she began ballet and jazz. Currently she is dancing Bulgarian folk dance. She joined Ludo Mlado in 2006.
Born and lived in Sofia, Bulgaria, Teodora Kirilova joined Ludo Mlado in 2006. Started dancing first as an alternative to cardio fitness program, she discovered the beauty and the uniqueness of traditional Bulgarian dance after coming to Boston.
Galina Anguelova, originally from Plovdiv, Bulgaria, discovered the beauty of Bulgarian folk-dance after she moved to Boston to earn her MBA/MS in Accounting degree. Gali has been dancing with Ludo Mlado since the spring of 2006. She has explored a variety of dances from ballroom to latin to belly dancing but found no other dance to be as charmingly magnetic and versatile as Bulgarian traditional dances.
Tzvetomira Kaltcheva, originally from Razgrad, Bulgaria, is a graduate student in Politics at Brandeis University where she studies ethnic conflict and post-conflict democratization.Prior to Ludo Mlado, she
danced with Bosilek dance group in New York City.
Julia Kamenova is an active member of Ludo Mlado since 2003. She started to perform as a little girl in her home town Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria. After 5 years living in Portugal and being away from everything that is sweet to her, at the first moment she saw Peter Petrov's dancing classes and performance group she wanted to become a part of it.
Neli is from Sofia, Bulgaria. She first started dancing with ensemble “Rosna Kitka” and soon after she followed her sister to ensemble “Zdravets”. Neli moved to the United States in 1997, when she was 14. In 2001 Neli and her sister created the dance group “The Roses,” and performed at many concerts in
and around Boston. Willing to be in a bigger group with more opportunities to explore more dances, she joined “Ludo Mlado” in 2005. In 2006 she graduated Mass College of Art with a BFA in architecture.
Stoil Stoianov came to Boston and joined Ludo Mlado almost immediately. He has previous dancing experience in Bulgaria.
Boris Paskalev is from Sofia , Bulgaria and was firstly introduced to the magic of the traditional Bulgarian dances during elementary school in 1994 where he learned and performed with ensemble "Zdravetc" for a short period of one year. After a period of 11 years he joined "Ludo Mlado" in January of 2006 to revive his passion and love for the rich and beautiful Bulgarian traditions and magical dances.
Svetlin (Sesho) Kalaydjiev is from Stara Zagora, Bulgaria and had no dance experience before coming to the US. He first saw a performance of Ludo Mlado in Providence, RI and started going to folk dance lessons led by Peter Petrov. Svetlin joined the Ludo Mlado troupe immediately after moving to Boston in 2007.
Peter Dimitrov ia an active member of Ludo Mlado since 2007. He joined the group after seeing them performing at a festival.
Polina Paskaleva, originally from Varna, Bulgaria, is an undergraduate student at Boston University. She was first introduced to Bulgarian folk dancing in elementary school and has also practiced rhythmic gymnastics for a short period of time. She joined Ludo Mlado in the fall of 2007.
