Bulgarian Music Scholar and Choreographer Kiril Djenev Dies at 84

Professor Kiril Djenev, a distinguished choreographer and founder of Trakia
Music & Dance Ensemble died July 2, 2006 at the age of 84.

He was one of the founders of Plovdiv Academy of Music, Dance
and Fine Arts; professor and department head; author of studies and books about
Bulgarian folklore; and mentor of the majority of young Bulgarian choreographers. 

Kiril Djenev was drawn to Bulgarian folklore dance from his earliest age. In
1945 he was admitted as a dancer in the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Bulgarian
Ministry of Internal Affairs. A little later he joined the National Opera in
Sofia and the Ensemble of the Directorate of Labour. In 1948 he founded his own
dance group at the Ministry of Agriculture.

In 1950 Kiril Djenev graduated from Sofia University with a degree in economics
but his interest in dance continued to hold an overriding influence and in 1951
he was appointed as choreographer at the State Ensemble for Folklore Music and
Dance in Sofia. At the same time, he laid the foundations for a folklore dance
group at the Municipality of Sofia, which was later known as the Sredets
Ensemble. In 1970 he was appointed as choreographer at the Pirin Ensemble for
Folklore Music and Dance in Blagoevgrad. In 1974 he founded the Trakia State
Folklore Ensemble in Plovdiv.
 
 Prof. Djenev is one of the most distinguished choreography instructors in
Bulgaria. He was among the group of pioneer choreographers who established the
reputation of the State Choreography High School in Sofia. In 1974 founded the
Choreography Department at the Academy of Music and Dance. He was head of the
Choreography Department for many years and Deputy Rector of the Academy for a
period of time.
 
 Prof. Djenev is the author of two textbooks: Bulgarian Stage Dances and
Cinetography, and a number of articles and reviews on Bulgarian folklore music
and dance. He co-authored A Theory for the Construction of Dance and Universal
Choreography.
 
 Kiril Djenev is a judge at national and international dance festivals and
competitions.
 
 [Photo and biography courtesy of
Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts].