Performance group Seattle Cheta
The performance group Seattle Cheta was established in April 2014, where the dancers and singers from Bulgarian Voices of Seattle Women’s Choir participated in the Verea-Chicago Festival. Group’s name contains playful ambiguity that combines the meanings of (ordinary) people from Seattle (seattlecheta) and a band from Seattle; “cheta” evokes connotation to the Bulgarian National Revival heroic period. Group members are Bulgarians who initially attended “Rabotilnitsata” – the weekly adult folk dance workshop and later developed a repertoire for stage performances.
We take joy in bringing back to life old traditional Bulgarian songs and dances, among which Koledarski pesni (vocals) and Koledarski Yambolski Buenek (specific dance), performed by our men. This idea was initially introduced to the Bulgarian community after receiving a 4Culture grant to support our “Together for Christmas” show, presented in Kirkland Performance Center in December 2013. The excitement generated by this teamwork became the foundation for the establishment of not only “Rabotilnitsata” (2014) but also “Seattle Cheta.” Seattle Cheta’s activities include collecting of hand-woven traditional folk costumes, repairing and presenting them in concerts.
Since 2014 Seattle Cheta repeatedly attended several community events and festivals, notably our Christmas concerts, Verea-Chicago Folk Festival, NW Folklife Festival, Antika Bulgaria Festival (San Francisco), International Nights at Bellevue College, “Na Megdana” Festival in Pittsburgh, and others.
More info at our FB page: https://www.facebook.com/SeattleChetaBCHCS/
