Two very different groups of dancers put on a display of traditional culture and music in Douglas last weekend.

The Bulgarian folk dance group Rhythm of Bulgaria joined forces with the Manx traditional dance group Perree Bane for a joint concert, held at the Studio Theatre, Ballakermeen high School, on Sunday evening.

The evening was designed to give examples of how the two different cultures could combine and perform together in a spirit of mutual cultural appreciation.

Initially taking it in turns, both groups introduced themselves and briefly explained a little on the backgrounds of each dance before performing them to the large crowd.

The 11 dancers of Rhythm of Bulgaria performed several high energy, eye-catching set pieces, and their dances were accompanied by infectious, shrill cries and whoops and were performed wearing spectacular costumes and traditional dress.

Local group Perree Bane, so-called because of the white coats worn by the male dancers, used three different generations of dancers to display traditional Manx dance. Children under 10, followed by the under 14s danced the ’Melliah’ and ’White Boys’, while the adults gave renditions of sword and candle-themed dances and the ultimate test of sobriety, Peter O’Tavey, a delicate balancing dance said to be carried out to find out if it is safe for people to walk home at the end of a night.

Both groups then joined together to perform dances from each other’s traditions.