Upscaling Swinging Europe (Bulgaria)

Iva's Project

Introduction

Context

Lindy Hop Bulgaria organizes three major swing dance festivals in Sofia: the Sofia Swing Dance Festival (SSDF), the International Lindy Hop Championships – Europe (ILHC – Europe), and the Sofia Blues Festival (SBF). These events aim to promote, develop, and make swing dance and music culture more accessible in Europe, attracting over 500 international artists and participants per festival.

The events combine dance and musicality classes, evening parties, historical talks on the Afro-American origins of swing culture, open-air parades, competitions, and vintage markets. The festivals are part of the Swinging Europe Network’s activities and are supported by the Sofia Municipality, the Bulgarian Culture Fund, and the Creative Europe Programme of the European Commission. By creating inclusive, multicultural events, Lindy Hop Bulgaria strengthens European swing dance networks, fosters cross-border collaboration, and ensures resilience in a niche cultural sector, even amid financial, operational, and infrastructural challenges in Sofia.

Collaborative Project

The project seeks to consolidate and enhance the organization’s network of festivals while exploring opportunities to scale its activities at a European level. The core idea is to develop sustainable strategies, build advocacy channels, and create professional development and training opportunities for festival makers. This includes designing programs for upskilling young professionals to act as cultural “influencers,” enhancing the visibility of swing dance culture across Europe, and reinforcing the organization’s structural and financial resilience.

Collaboration is central to the project: it builds on EU networks, connects festival teams and alumni of the Festival Academy, and strengthens partnerships with artists, institutions, and cultural organizations. By linking local initiatives with broader EU-level projects, the project ensures both innovation and continuity in a challenging cultural context.

Photo: Thobiles' (facilitator Atelier San Sebastian) visit at Sofia Dance Festival 2025

Leading Questions

How can a CE-born initiative continue and grow to a medium or larger-scale project?
Which connections and partnerships are essential to scaling the festivals and related initiatives?
How can the action plan be structured to achieve sustainable objectives?
How can training programs be designed to upskill festival makers as cultural influencers on a European level?

Inge Ceustermans focused in her sessions on supporting with advice on structuring Iva's business model. She also connected Iva to Nikos Mavrakis (founder of Too Far East) to discuss building her NGO and for artistic consultancy, and the European Festivals Association for advice on finding a sustainable basis for the network, advocacy, lobbying at EU level, and partnership development. She also suggested that the Festival Academy could potentially partner on the development of a training program around upskilling festival makers as influencers for young people at the EU level.

Outcomes

1. How did the mentorship process support or inspire you in developing your project or professional growth?

“Through the mentoring sessions, I was able to express myself and structure my ideas - to get them out of my head and see more clearly where I stand and where I want to go.”

Being able to participate in the Festival Academy meeting in San Sebastian and all the follow-up mentoring activities was a one-of-a-kind opportunity that opened new perspectives for professional and personal development. The mentoring process helped to clarify professional goals, formulate concrete needs for career growth, and verify whether these directions felt right and relevant.

The exchange with mentor Inge, in particular, provided both a reflective and empowering space - allowing Iva to identify next steps and connections that could support her vision. The process also sparked an unexpected and inspiring link with another mentor, Nikos, showing how mentorship can unfold organically through conversation and shared curiosity.

2. What were the three most valuable pieces of advice or guidance you received from your mentor?

My mentor suggested and helped me connect with another creative professional with more experience so that I can exchange and receive further guidelines in the specific field I would like to develop my professional future. She also gave me valuable advice on how to structure one of my project ideas in terms of business model.

Clarifying direction and structure
Building meaningful connections
Shaping sustainable project models

3. Which concrete steps have you taken — or plan to take — to bring your proposed project to life?

I am definitely going to use the suggested contacts and further benefit from the large network of Festival Academy Alumni. Already after the week in San Sebastian, I had the occasion to collaborate with some of the participants.

Iva reports that one of the most meaningful experiences was inviting Thobile Maphanga, the facilitator of the Atelier in San Sebastian, to her festival in Sofia. Thobile is a South African dance practitioner and creative collaborator passionate about her continent and about finding holistic solutions to issues of well-being and full living through the arts. She works across multiple sectors, believing that solutions arise from varied understandings of the world and human experience. Her ongoing work includes serving as Project Manager, Assistant Curator and Editorial Steering Committee member for JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience, a 26-year-old international contemporary dance festival with an online colloquium.

Thobiles visit brought incredible energy and inspiration - she joined a panel talk and even gave an improvised dance class. It was the first time Ivas festival hosted a guest outside the swing community, which opened a fresh dialogue and drew strong audience interest. The collaboration also helped convince my team of the value of broadening our artistic perspectives and engaging with professionals from different creative backgrounds.

Another powerful encounter happened unexpectedly in Crete, where Iva reconnected with fellow participant Aria during the inauguration of her new cultural space. This spontaneous meeting turned into a beautiful reminder of the strength of the Festival Academy network - how it creates a sense of belonging and mutual support, no matter where in the world we find ourselves. Moments like these demonstrate how the Academy continues to live beyond the initial week, through genuine connections and shared inspiration.

Furthermore, Iva is motivated to explore more deeply the concept of Fluxonomy, presented during the training, as she believes it adds great value to several of my ongoing projects.

4. What is one valuable piece of advice or insight you would like to share with a wider global community of festival leaders?

The Festival Academy is a great initiative that has the potential to bring you a mountain of connections, ideas, and inspirations for your professional and personal growth. So, take the most out of it!

Further Questions for Festival Leaders

How can niche cultural festivals achieve financial sustainability while maintaining artistic quality?
What strategies best support advocacy and dialogue with public authorities on EU and local levels?
How can volunteer management and operational capacity be strengthened for large-scale events?
What methods best ensure festivals remain inclusive, educational, and culturally impactful?

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