This Sunday there was no Sunday dance in front of the National Theater. Usually for years at 5 p.m., the initiative of the movement "Sunday Square Bulgarian" has been held at this location, but this time it was met by a protest demonstration with a poster "This is not Moscow."
The dispute began after actors stated that the loud music interfered with the performance "The Lovers." The Sofia Municipality announced that they had refused to hold the initiative at this location.
The protest demonstration thwarted the Sunday dance. Police officers were watching to ensure that tension did not arise between the two sides.
“The so-called horo interferes with the National Theater and prevents the center of Sofia from living normally. If necessary, yes. I hope that by then these people will have understood the hint. As far as I understand, there is a horo that is being held**,** without disturbing anyone – on Lake Ariana. Let them go there“, says Manol Glishev, organizer of the protest action.
The “Sunday Square Bulgarian“ movement stated that they are ready for dialogue with the National Theater.
“At the same time, regardless of the fountains, regardless of the legally required 65 decibels, we will go below 60 decibels. And at the same time, until all this settles down and is clarified, we will play until the theater starts,“ says Rumen Spasov, representative of “Nedelen megdan Bulgarian“.
“But until now we have not considered that we should talk to the director. We talked to the curators and they said: “The noise. The noise inside is gone“, and we trusted that. Now, were we deliberately misled to make this happen, or was it simply unintentional“, he added.
The National Theatre denied that their representatives had held such a conversation with the organizers of the dance.
“Representatives of the National Theatre have not held such conversations with the organizers and have not confirmed that the noise level does not hinder the performance“, the theatre's position states.
“Our categorical position is that holding such events at high noise levels directly in front of the theatre building is illegal and interferes with our normal work. The problem is particularly significant during the hours when performances are held on the “Muses” Stage and Chamber Stage, as well as rehearsals in the theater's rehearsal halls“, the National Theater also points out.
The “Muses“ stage is on the first balcony in the theater. Three performances are currently being performed on it. Among them is “The Lovers“ - the performance during which the actors complained about the loud music.
This Sunday evening at the National Theater was spent only with rehearsals, without performances. However, two performances are scheduled on the stage next Sunday.
“Nowhere. In the village square“, commented a citizen when asked where the Sunday horo should be held.
“The horo should exist, but there are many gardens that are not close to a theater or institutions. I don't think that since it's a hindrance, a compromise shouldn't be made“, says Samuil Siderov.
“If it's a hindrance to them, it's not good. When there's no performance, when there's no rehearsals, why not - the center of Sofia. We're actually very happy about it, even in Varna there's one. Better than the chalga. If it's a hindrance to them, maybe somewhere else“, comment Toni and Raycho Dimitrov.
The Sofia Municipality announced that seven acts and two fiches have been drawn up for the events. One of the acts is being contested in court.
“Our position remains consistent: we support Bulgarian folklore and people who want to dance horo. This specific place and this way of conducting it create a conflict with the work of the National Theater. "We are ready for dialogue and cooperation for a suitable space," the municipality states.
And so another scene is played out in front of the National Theater - that of the dispute over who has the right to determine how the center of Sofia should sound.