A native of Bulgaria, Peter is an accomplished choreographer, dance teacher and performer. Founder of Ludo Mlado in 2002, 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.
Pierre Neville
My mother can tell you that I used to move to any music when I was a baby. I started dancing at age 6 followed soon after with formal tape lessons and concerts. I sang operetta, did Scottish Country Dancing and played bagpipes during high school. I have performed international dances with the Mandala Folk Dance Ensemble and with Collage. I have been a member of the Scottish Demo Team here in Boston. I started with the original group at the beginning of Ludo Mlado. I top off my dance career with doing costumes for Ludo Mlado and collecting Balkan costumes for myself and to sell.
Mariya was first introduced to the traditional Bulgarian dances in first grade in her home town Vidin, where she was part of a folk ensemble for four years. After exploring different dance genres, like modern ballet and belly dancing, for almost fifteen years she rediscovered her love and passion for the beauty of the Bulgarian folklore dance when she became a member of Ludo Mlado in 2009.
Polina Paskaleva, originally from Varna, Bulgaria was first introduced to Bulgarian folklore in elementary school. She also practiced rhythmic gymnastics for a short period of time. While studying at Boston University she joined Ludo Mlado in the fall of 2007.
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.
Rostislav is from Lovech Bulgaria and developed his passion for traditional dancing while still in Bulgaria. Upon his move to Boston he found out about Ludo Mlado and became a member and a very active advocate of the group within months.
Ivana Dinkova has always been fascinated by the beauty of Bulgarian folk dance and culture. She started dancing at the age of 6 and has been performing for 13 years in Bulgaria; spreading the magnificence of the folklore and tradition from many different regions in Bulgaria trough performances in various European countries. After moving to Boston in the beginning of 2009, Ivana reconnected with the Bulgarian folk dance and joined Ludo Mlado.
Jordan is a part-time student at BU who first joined LM in 2009. As a kid, he performed in ensemble "Bulgarian" based in Varna, Bulgaria.
Biserka is born in Sofia, Bulgaria and came to study in the US where she graduated from Suffolk University. She started taking Bulgarian folk dancing classes lead by Pepi Petrov and joined Ludo Mlado after seeing them on stage for the first time in September of 2009.
Diana (DDL) is born in Sofia, Bulgaria. She grew up in an environment influenced by various musicians to find herself inevitably bond to music and dance. She continued her bachelor studies in the US and started taking Bulgarian dance classes lead by Pepi Petrov in 2009. Soon after she joined Ludo Mlado to offer her plentiful energy and high spirit to the group.
Diana Damyanova (DDD), originally from Sofia, Bulgaria, had no experience
with traditional Bulgarian dancing prior to moving to Boston in 2008.
After seeing a couple of performances by Ludo Mlado she was fascinated
by the spirit of the group and joined the following year.
Svetla Mincheva, originally from Pazardjik, discovered the beauty of dance at the age of 7 as she joined the local ensemble “Albena”. This passion stayed with her all through high school after which she had to part with friends as she ventured into college life in America. After graduating and getting settled in Boston, Svetla rediscovered her passion for dance as she met some of the members from Ludo Mlado and joined the group in 2009.
Mariela Mihaleva - Born in Burgas, Bulgaria. As a middle school student took
dance classes for 1 year at local Youth Ensemble. I have always been
passionate about bulgarian folklore. Started dance classes lead by Peter
Petrov in 2007. Mastering many new dances was a dream-come-true. This lead to
a decision to join Ludo Mlado in 2009.