I am not sure that many of you are kept awake at night wishing you could Balkan dance or have dreams of traditional dresses dancing through your head but if you do, this blog post is for you. It's your lucky night.

[caption id="attachment_1609" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Me, Sarah and Abby"]<a href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/dsc01303.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1609" title="Balkan Dance " src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/dsc01303.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="375" /></a>[/caption]

I made my Bulgarian National dance debut tonight. I got to wear traditional clothing!! And I danced two dances with the moms and other international teachers from school at the American College of Sofia's Christmas Concert for parents and alumni. It went okay. I danced with a lot of heart but I was far from perfect. It helps when you're wearing really great clothes as well. <!--more-->

[caption id="attachment_1610" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Me in my Dance Dress! "]<a href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/dsc01290.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1610" title="Balkan Dance Dress" src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/dsc01290.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="666" /></a>[/caption]

I am not sure that mustard yellow is really my color but look at how great this dress is. It's wool and has a black overlay sewn on. The under-skirt or under-dress is white cotton with embroidery on the bottom, the sleeves, and the neck. There's also a black apron with beautiful flowers embroidered on it.  I am not so secretly in love with the dress.  It really, really makes me want to get one of my own.

I mean, I need this or something like this.  Right?

Okay, we danced as well. It wasn't just about dressing up but I have to say that the dressing up was great fun.  I think that there may be a youtube clip of the performance in the making.  I am sure I'll know more about this tomorrow.  I am happy to report that all in all the dancing went well and I had a couple of students tell me I did a great job.  I have a hunch they may have been being nice to me but that's fine with me. I'll take what I can get.

[caption id="attachment_1612" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Balkan Dancing Outside in the Snow"]<a href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/balkan-dance.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1612" title="Balkan Dancing Outside in the Snow" src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/balkan-dance.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="581" /></a>[/caption]

We danced at the end of the show--it was great to be able to watch so many of our students perform. After the formal part of the dancing we invited everyone in the audience outside to dance a few traditional pieces with us.  But as soon as we went out it started rain-snowing.  So we danced outside in the snow for a bit in one big long chain of people. It was cold though and I was hungry.  So I changed back into my everyday work clothes (even though I didn't want to and a piece of me doesn't understand why I shouldn't wear this outfit all of the time).

Now it's time to go to bed because tomorrow I get to dance the whole thing over again!