Different nations and individuals are meeting for the eighth Pirin Sings (Pirin Pae) gathering this weekend to perform what they have learned from folklore courses in their own countries.

For two days 3,500 participants will perform traditional folk songs, stories, instrumentals, rituals and children's games on eight stages in the Predela area (Pirin mountain). There will also be guest performers from Jordan, Macedonia, the U.S. and Japan. The American and Japanese performers will demonstrate the skills they have acquired at Bulgarian folklore courses and the Jordanian troupe will present a repertoire from their own country. "In return, a Bulgarian troupe will perform at an art festival in Jordan next year," said Ivan Todorov, president of the Pirin Sings foundation.

Ralph Iverson, a musician from Boston, U.S., has played the gudulka (typical Bulgarian guitar-like instrument) for five years and came to Bulgaria last year to take part in a workshop on folklore instrumental playing in Koprivshtitsa. "I play for pleasure. There are only a few professional players of typical Bulgarian instruments," he said. "It's a rare and great opportunity for me to perform in front of the people who have made the music."

The Pirin Sings gathering is also called Traditions, Development, Present. It is a program that has several objectives. It aims to establish national folklore heritage as an important element of modern cultural developments and to enhance educational and scientific work in the field of folklore. The gathering's purpose is to preserve the most appropriate and comprehensive means of presenting folklore heritage and to create a motivated and educated audience for supporting the collection, research and preservation of new samples of original folklore.

Australian Deborah Bookbinder is another participant in the workshops. "It is really difficult to put into words what I really felt then but a proof of its qualities is the fact that I decided to sing this music in an instant," she said. She was initially inspired by the Mystery of Bulgarian Voices choir and later trained with them.

Eight open-air stages in the foothills of Pirin will welcome thousands of participants including singers, dancers, musicians, narrators and performers of traditional customs from 14 municipalities. It is expected to be the largest gathering in seven years.

Over 200,000 people from Bulgaria, Greece, Russia, Ukraine, Japan, South Korea, U.S., Germany and Sweden traditionally attend and take part in this forum of the Bulgarian spirit.

Terry Plampin from Denver took up international folk dancing in the 1970s when it was popular on college campuses in the U.S. "Bulgarian folk dancing is one of the standards and something just clicked, I felt the right rhythms, melody and choreography - it just grasped me," he said. Terry drifted away from folk dancing and only recently rediscovered singing and choir groups recreationally. He discovered the Balkan male singers' tradition. "The male singing tradition seems to be centred in the Pirin region and most particularly in Bansko. It is exciting to be here and have the opportunity to listen to the Bansko guys," he said.

When she was at college in Boston Joan Hantman was introduced to ethnic and international dancing. "It was totally different from the classical dancing that I grew up with," she said. "The music to go with it was something I had never heard before, the rhythms were totally unique, the instruments and singing were incomparable," she remembered. She fell in love with Bulgarian folklore and tried to come to as many workshops as she could. Her favourite region for dancing is the Shopska region with its typical fast dances.

The only ensemble presenting typical folklore from its own region and country is the Jordanian ensemble with choreographer, Mohammad Ghawanmeh, dean of the Amman Music Academy. They will present a three stage program from the north and south of the country as well as a combined wedding of both. Scenes from Bedouin life will be performed and accompanied by the rahbab, a typical violin-like instrument, which will be played by a famous Jordanian musician. The children from the troupe will sing a song traditionally heard at joyful events like childbirths, victories, weddings or birthdays. "Our songs go from heart to heart, not simply to the ear," Ghawanmeh said.

"It is thrilling and terrifying to be on stage in front of the Bulgarians. Being able to perform in the country that you have read and studied about for many years is a great challenge," she said. She wants to come back for the ninth Pirin Sings gathering and bring all her friends who showed an interest in it.