As the pounding beat of the music plays, junior Michaela Mihova reaches out to link with her neighbors, joining in a circle and beginning one of the many dances she performs in her class.

Whether it’s within a school or within a family, everyone has a community that they are a part of. For Michaela, her community is formed through Bulgarian dancing.

“Bulgarian dancing personally makes me feel connected with my roots,” Michaela said. “We live in a modern society where it’s easy to lose touch with your culture sometimes, but dancing reminds me that I come from a really unique and really rich culture and that I have something meaningful to share with the world.”

Being of Bulgarian descent, Michaela was invited to dance class since she was little, but she was never fully interested until one of her friends joined. Michaela has now been dancing for four years for a group called Bulgarian Spirit. The dance group has about 25-30 people, ranging from ages 4-50.

“My dad loves this stuff, the dancing and Bulgarian music,” Assia Mihova, Michaela’s mother, said. “He’s very involved in the culture and traditions of Bulgaria. He used to teach me when I was young. When Michaela was growing up, she saw this and knew she wanted to do the dancing when she got older.”

Many Bulgarian dances are line dances, in which dancers move in straight or curved lines while holding hands. There are six regions of Bulgaria, and each of the regions has its own style of dancing. For example, the Sofia region dances are usually fast-paced and intricate. The northern region dances are more melodious, but the music can range from slow to fast. After each performance, Michaela’s class learns a new dance from one of the six regions.

“What I like about learning new dances is the fact we can learn new things and present them to an audience,” Michaela said.

Bulgarian culture is very family-based, and there are about 3,000 Bulgarians in the St. Louis and Illinois area. They gather on every major holiday to celebrate and dance. One of Bulgaria’s traditional holidays is Orthodox Easter. This is celebrated a week before Easter. Bulgarian groups come together on this day to celebrate and dance together.

“I love Bulgarian dancing because it brings me to meeting new people who are Bulgarian and who have the same interests as me,” Mariya Vasileva, Michaela’s dance friend who goes to Parkway North, said. “It connects me with my heritage and culture.”

Michaela practices every Sunday with her dance class. Bulgarian Spirit does not perform competitively. However, they receive money from each event they perform at. They dance at different facilities in the St. Louis and Illinois area. They have also performed in Chicago, at the Tower Groves Festival of Nations and at a wedding in Arkansas. Michaela loves performing because it is a way to show others how unique her culture is.

“I love how Bulgarian dancing is so different from any other style of dancing I’ve seen,” Mihova said. “It brings me closer to my Bulgarian friends.”