Summer salsa fest Varna

The Varna Summer salsa festival

I arrived in Varna from Sozopol, a family “resort” area a couple for hours south.  Varna is a hub on the Black Sea of Bulgaria.  

I had already decided that I was coming to Bulgaria earlier this year, and when i found out that there was a salsa festival in the area, I planned around it.  It is the 8th year of the festival, and the website didn’t make it look like a very big deal, and you couldn’t buy tickets online.  I was hoping for the best but I had very low expectations.  Also, a typical New Yorker, I just felt like nothing is probably going to compare my dancing experience in the US or Cuba.

I showed up in Varna on a Friday, having missed the beach pre- party the day before.  I was in no rush.  The festival is in a small community called Alen Mak just outside of Golden Sands resort town.  Golden sands is your typical all-inclusive resort town... huge hotels, lakeside pools.  I’m guessing Alen Mak, despite being on a small local beach called kabucum, is know for nothing except this small university called Varna free university where the festival is centered.  I booked a guest house a 7-minute walk away.  booking.com has the address wrong, and it takes a couple of phone calls to find this guesthouse... the taxi driver is determined to find if for me and not only won’t just let me off where i pinned the correct location (the entrance is in a dirt road alley)...he seems pissed at the lady for not having the right address down.

I usually avoid cabs in foreign places like the plague because in a lot of places, they scam you, and I just don’t want to deal with that situation.  This guy was great.

The guest house is beautiful.  There’s about 18 rooms, centered around an immaculate courtyard with a barbecue oven, a pool, swings.  My room is large and has a double bed, an efficiency kitchen and a washing machine.  All of this is $25 a night.  Bulgaria is very inexpensive, and this little town is REALLY inexpensive.

The lady explains to me that basically everyone in the guest house is going to this festival... I tell her that’s why I am here!  After I check in, unbeknownst to me, she tells all of the other guests that there is an American girl all by herself and that maybe they should include me.  She is SO sweet.  I skip the beach party that afternoon.  I find it difficult to dance on the beach, and I was really tired from traveling all day.  I’d go to the show at 10 and the party after for a while.

Early that evening while I’m failing at napping,I get a knock on my door and Demeter from Sofia (the capital) introduces himself in his nervous English and invites me to walk with him to the festival later that evening.  I accept, because it seems rude not to, even though I am wondering what I’m going to say to this guy for 7 minutes.

Demeter is just lovely.  His English isn’t as bad as he gave off.  He’s a bachata dancer.  The stage for the show is at the bottom of a steeply sloped hill, so that no matter where you sit, you can see.  There are mats on the floor for everyone to sit on.  Demeter takes out some wipes and cleans it up for us so that I won’t get dirty.

The show is a mix of Latin styles.  This isn’t really a salsa festival, it’s a Latin dance festival.  The workshops feature salsa (NY, LA, Cuban style,) kizomba, semba, bachata.  A LOT of bachata.  I don’t bachata.  The schedule of workshops  had been released relatively shortly before the festival began, and I was disappointed to find out that there were relatively very few Cuban style workshops.  It was also a bit disappointing to find out that there were NO beginner workshops... there were some called “open level” but it became clear to me later on that this was NOT a festival for beginners.  I don’t really want to bachata, but man, people really like bachata, so if you’re at an event and the music comes on, i think it’s pretty helpful if at least you can do the bare minimum.

The show is good.  The acts were of varying ability, but definitely enjoyable.  

The dance party starts at 11:30.  I’m tired, but I’m ready to dance.  Demeter says goodbye and goes off to his bachata room.  There’s 4 different areas segregate by style.  There’s a Cuban area, where I’ll spend all my time, an area for LA/NY/Cha-Cha-chá, one called “romantic space for bachata” and one called “romantic space for kizomba/semba”.  I’m not even going NEAR any romantic space.  I think I’m growing more prudish in my old age, but I want NO PART of a Romantic space.

I look at the schedule, and go to the hall 1, right in front. I hear some Cuban Timba.  I’m ready to go, and within a minute someone has asked me to dance.  The code is simple... stand by the edge of the dance floor, you want to dance.  Stand or sit anywhere else, you don’t.  The majority of the people here are from Bulgaria, I think.  People speak a varying level of English, but really it’s just a hand extended with no words, (or some words in Bulgarian followed by “ah” when I tell them I don’t speak it) and a thank you at the end.  Everyone is here to dance, that’s it.

Now, I was prepared to experience something different here, different from what I’m used to at home.  But I’m doing TERRIBLY.  I can barely follow, and as much as I try, I’m not really getting much better.  I spend some time backing off, looking around, doing the “is it them or is it me?” thing.  Do they just use different moves? It it that no one knows who I am, so I’m only attracting people who prey on newbies?  Am I terrible?  Is this some kind of European fusion situation?  No idea.  This goes on for a good hour and a half, and although two of the guys who asked me were DEFINITELY not great, I naturally blame myself.  One dipped me hard and pulled me back up and slammed his head into mine.  I feel a little disheartened and go back to my abode.  I would have felt MUCH worse had I not just spent 2 weeks in Cuba dancing, and dancing just fine.  I just don’t get it... I’m fine in New York, fine in CUBA for chrissake... but here?!?  I don’t know.  I’m just confused.  It’s fine; I’ll just focus on the workshops.

The first Cuban workshop is at 10 am with a really great Italian dancer.  So the workshop is PACKED.  The outdoor space they set aside for it was way too small for the number of people who showed up.  We’re all on top of each other, and although everyone is nice and trying to be respectful about everyone’s dancing space, it’s really hard.  Eastern Europeans are tall, and I’m one of the shortest people there.  I can’t see shit.  They change lines every now and again, but not enough, and at some point I decide I’m so short nobody will care if I just stick myself in the far front-left corner and stay there.  They didn’t, and in the front far-right corner I see a kindred, short spirit do the same.  The workshop is really good, but the second one was also so packed and was a partnering workshop instead of solo work... I REALLLY can’t see... I get so annoyed that within 10 minutes I decide I’m done.

I skip the beach party again.  I don’t like dancing on the beach in the sun, it’s exhausting.  Also, I successfully convinced my friend Lauren to come to town, and she broke her ankle earlier in her trip, so I just taxied over to where she was and we hung out in resorty golden sands.  No worries, even if I manage a couple of workshops and the parties and shows in the evening, that’s pretty well worth the experience and the pretty cheap 60 euro price I paid for the weekend (Well, cheap by festival standards, expensive by Bulgarian standards, considering I don’t think I’ve spent 60 euros on food all week!)  I’m also trying to rest for later because I haven’t been sleeping well, and i wanted to get better at dancing whatever the fuck they’re dancing later on.

Lauren cabs it to me to come to the show... she can’t manage to get down the stairs on her crutches.  I plop her right in front of where I was dancing last night so that she can see, and I explain to her last night’s problem.  She watches, and tells me I’m great...I still know I’m not.  Lauren only makes it about an hour, and I go to look at the “romantic sensual bachata” room for a good laugh.  So much hair twirling... I think it’s hysterical.

I walk down stairs to the next place... and I’m hit in the face with very loud Cuban Timba music, and EVERYONE IS DANCING EXACTLY HOW I’M USED TO.  I recognize it instantly.  I ask a guy to dance.  YES, THIS IS HOW WE DANCE.  no problems.  I tell this guy what I did, and we’re both laughing at my idiocy.  He’s a Salsa instructor, and tells me I’m great and has me dance with his friend, who is also great. 

It turns out I was on the LA floor. I misread the schedule.  I don’t know anything about LA style salsa, and there were enough moves that I *could* follow, and I was so focused on my own shortcomings that I totally didn’t notice that the DJ was actually playing a mix of different styles of salsa music, and everyone was still just dancing this same style I was failing at.  I’m still a relatively inexperienced salsa dancer, and I just wasn’t paying attention.  

I feel a little annoyed that I was so stupid, and annoyed that I lost so much time, but at this point, it’s 12:30, and I’m reinvigorated.  I dance my ass off for 2 hours.  I was elated.  The party went to about 5 in the morning.  

Having walked around a bit, and having actually found the goddamn Timba, I noticed something.... there’s a STUPID number of people here.  Hundreds.  This is no small festival.  It’s HUGE.  And almost everyone is a GREAT dancer.  Every dance I had, and I sat very few out, was really, REALLY good. 

During one song, this really good dancer gives me a “vacuna,” which is a movement in rumba that simulates impregnating the woman.  It’s (usually) a non-sexual movement to the casual outsider... it could be a flick of the hand or a knee jerk.  What the follower is supposed to do is literally cover her vagina  with her hand and indicate that she doesn’t want it.  This has been a running joke in my crowd of friends... I gave one right back to him.  This is not only ridiculous, because as much as I might like to, I can’t either figuratively or literally impregnate anyone, and considering rumba is a very traditional dance style, it’s just not a thing that happens.  The guy, also an instructor, stops dead in his tracks, knees buckle, and he’s dying laughing.  He makes me do it to his friends.  My friends at home cheer me on for bringing a little NY to Bulgaria.

I pretty sure I’m the only American at this whole thing.  Everyone is incredulous that I am here. 

No one is really talking, just dancing,but I do wind up telling one particularly smiley guy named bolshedar (sp?) about my LA style mishap.  He laughs.  He tells me that I HAVE to go to the beach party... it’s really great.

I take a workshop in the morning, it’s great.  And less crowded... not only is Cuban style the minority here (still, LOTS of people) but I’m guessing that most of the festival stayed out dancing until 5am.

The beach party is at the “cabacum castle beach bar.” Google doesn’t recognize this name.  I asked someone at the event how to get there..she says I have to “take the lift.”  I don’t really know what she means by this... I put in some random beach bar and google map my way there.  

Google takes me on a 20 minute walk in a completely unpopulated area for a good 15 minutes... but full of HUGE houses, beautiful yards, pear and fig trees everywhere.  I’m thinking that google should probably develop a route system that warns the single female walker that maybe she should have her mace out or take a cab... especially since the route includes a walk along a downhill stream next to about 2000 steps and the whole time I see only two other people.  I was more worried about nature than being attacked, to be honest.  I have felt very safe walking around all of Bulgaria, with the exception of the Bulgarians swerving on the narrow road that takes me back and forth to the festival.

Where the fuck is this bar?  I google again.  No clue.  I’m about to ask someone, but I look up and at the end of the path is a ruined castle.  Ah, castle beach bar,  makes sense now.  The party is in full force when I arrive, and at this point, equipped with the newly acquired knowledge of what LA style salsa looks like, I stand off to the side for the rueda class to start.

The rueda lesson is given completely in Bulgarian, but punctuated by the Spanish calls that I’m mostly familiar with.  They do some things *slightly* differently from home, but I’m familiar enough with being in a rueda that I acclimate instantly. My friend who told me to come to the beach grabs me to bring me into the inner circle with the instructor and the people he knows.  It’s the best place to be.  I learn a couple of new calls... we do straight rueda for over an hour.  It was SO much fun.

The beach is clean, the water is clean, with a bit more seaweed than I like, but clean.  Two lounge chairs and a sun umbrella cost... get this... a grand total of $6!!  I know I am fixating on the prices of things but i can’t get over how excellent the quality of things are here for the price.  In Western Europe I’ve paid 5 times that.

I walk a little to try to find a way up that doesn’t involve a walk up all those damned stairs and i see it... a CHAIR lift.  Not a lift like an elevator, a chairlift.  Of course.  A lift.  It’s old and rickety and looks like something old school Coney Island.  The guy guides me on it, and I think to myself “wow, this is pretty steep to have NO RAIL GUARD.”  But then I see people coming down when I’m going up... they have a guard...OH of course, I’m supposed to do it MYSELF.  It randomly stops for a couple of minutes and I’m the only person I see.  Well, it’s comfy up there.  It starts up again, no problem.  There’s also nobody up at the top to tell me when to get off. Standard of safety are really different in America.  There is a really beautiful view of the beach on the way down and if I had more time, I would have taken the trip at sunset to do it.

I get back to the guesthouse and tell the lady Elena how much I loved the festival, and how you would never have gotten that impression from the very minimalist website.  She said that that’s how it often is in Bulgaria... there’s a lot of really great stuff going on and no one seems to want to tell anyone about it.

Well, I’m going to tell EVERYONE.

Elena tells me that I should just use the website triumftaxi to order a cab to the airport.  The website doesn’t allow for advanced reservations.  I get up after not sleeping and order the taxi a little before 6 am, which is plenty of time to make it for a 9am flight.  Now I’m nervous... and now that the festival is over the streets are empty.  A car comes by and stops for me... this car either has no meter so the guy tells me 60 BGN, which is more than double what it’s supposed to cost.  It doesn’t matter, and he knows it.  

Up until that point, Bulgaria has once again exceeded every expectation I had for it.  I absolutely love it here, and I’m going to ruin this paradise by telling you why.

The beaches and the water are really clean and well serviced.

Although you’ll hear almost no English outside the major cities (and even less American English), most everything is written in English as well as Bulgarian.  They don’t really expect anyone to understand Bulgarian or pronounce Cyrillic.

Bulgarians are tickled that Americans visit.  Everyone in the restaurants and the shops seemed thrilled to take care of me and are very warm and friendly.

The food, although not terribly diverse and kind of eastern-European bland, is stupidly cheap.  Think fish, mussels, barbecued meat and kebab.  More salads than I expected.  Excellent produce.  In the resort area, I didn’t spend any more than $18 on a meal, including an appetizer and two glasses of wine.  Lunches were usually $7 or less, and that sometimes was a whole fresh grilled fish.  Everything is stupidly cheap.  You can get a whole beach bed/umbrella setup for <$10.  Hour Massage, $35 max.  guesthouse with air con, a terrace, a fridge and a shower in the room for <$30 a night.

It’s been about 85 degree during the day and 65 at night, low humidity.  Perfect summer weather.

Adorable street kittens everywhere 

Everyone has been super helpful and really nice.  Tourists seem to be very welcome.

Anyone wanna come with?