Creativity rarely stays in just one part of a person’s life. It finds different ways out, through the stories we tell, the moments we choose to capture, or even the way we move.
In this edition of 15 Exceptional Talents, we meet three colleagues from Cosmic Development who have each found their own form of expression beyond their everyday work. For Dimitar Kolondzoski, it happens behind the camera. For Dimitar Zaharievski, it begins with an idea and an empty page. And for Boris Bogdanovski, sometimes no words are needed at all.
Their paths through cinematography, theatre, writing, and dance are very different, but each has stayed connected to something they genuinely love creating. And as their stories show, these are not simply interests they picked up along the way. They have become part of how they see, interpret, and engage with the world around them.
Dimitar Kolondzoski Kus: Cinematographer, Filmmaker, and Storyteller Behind the Camera
Dimitar’s relationship with the camera goes back to his student days, when he studied film and television cinematography at NATFA in Sofia. He later spent years working in television, but moving into a different professional field never meant leaving the camera behind.
Today, alongside his work at Cosmic Development, he continues to film cultural events around the city and is also the person behind the camera at many of Cosmic’s events, helping preserve the moments and atmosphere that might otherwise disappear as quickly as they happened.
But anyone who knows him knows there is another side that is difficult to separate from the person behind the camera. His humor and energy tend to make him part of the moment even when his job is to document it.
From Film Cameras to Reels: What Dimitar Loves to Capture
Yes, my love for the camera has been uninterrupted since my student days. As a student, working with a film camera was a great challenge for me. And honestly, when you finally see the finished product after editing, the feeling is priceless.
A news reporting camera is a completely different story. There are certain rules and guidelines you have to follow, without many additional artistic effects, but it has its own charm.
Short videos, what we now commonly call reels, can have a huge impact without taking up much time. They are short and clear. They require brief shots with certain strong accents. Perhaps these short, effective videos are my favorites because they can be both artistic and journalistic.
They are a combination of everything I have worked on over the years. With the perfect music in the background, these videos can be a real hit, exactly the kind of content the community is looking for today.
Why Technology Alone Doesn’t Make a Great Video
Yes, technology is changing very rapidly. In the past, we worked with film, with a great deal of technology behind it and large machines, and the process of reaching the final product was much longer. Today, just as in many other fields, the trend toward a more stylized and streamlined approach has also become part of my profession.
Unfortunately, today everyone with a smartphone and a good camera seems to think they can be a photographer or a camera operator. But the aesthetic quality of a video does not depend solely on having a good camera on a mobile device. Aesthetics is something you learn. Even the ethical aspects of video are very important, especially in journalism.
You need to have a clear purpose: what you want to include in the frame and what you don’t, where you should hold the shot, and where you should zoom in. You need to consider how much compositional space there is above and below the subject, whether to use a central or diagonal composition, how to work with light, and so on.
Why Choosing a Favorite Project Is Almost Impossible
When an artist creates works of art, a poet writes poetry, or a composer creates music, they are all their own creations. The feeling is like being a parent. You cannot choose which child you love more, because your love for each of them is endless. The only thing that differs is the moment and the circumstances in which each one was created.
That is more or less how I feel about my projects as well. I cannot say that one project was more meaningful or dear to me than another. Each one was created with my energy, and I have contributed something of myself to it, whether in the past, in the present, or something that will continue to influence the future.
The Same Energy, On and Off Camera
Actually, they are not two different roles. That’s simply who I am. I bring my energy into everything I do. The only role where I know how to be a little stricter is being a father.
The sense of humor I have is definitely natural. You can’t really make a good joke if you don’t have a certain talent for it.
Dimitar Zaharievski: Dramaturg, Screenwriter, and Co-founder of Del Arte Theatre
Dimitar discovered theatre while still in high school, although he eventually chose to study architecture. The theatre had other plans. In 2011, together with his friend Bojan Stojkov, he founded the independent Del Arte Theatre, initially focused on creating entertaining and meaningful productions for children.
Those productions earned two international awards, but it was the comedy show Prazni Muabeti that later made the group widely recognizable. Dimitar once explained the difference between the two to his young daughter rather neatly: “In Del Arte, we teach children how things should be. In Prazni Muabeti, we show how they shouldn’t.”
That combination of storytelling, humor, and observation runs through much of his work. Over the years, his writing has taken many forms, from children’s theatre and comedy to television and musicals, bringing his stories from the page to both stage and screen.
Falling in Love With Theatre and Never Quite Leaving
That’s correct, although I would put it slightly differently. So far, I have written eighteen theatre plays for children, eight comedies, two scripts for comedy television series, one children’s television series, and one musical. I have been fortunate enough to see all of them come to life, either on stage or in front of a camera.
I fell in love with theatre when I was a teenager. And I believe that once you fall in love with Thalia, the ancient muse of comedy and theatre, that fever stays with you for the rest of your life.
Although I studied something completely different, my passion for writing never left me. Storytelling was always somewhere inside me, waiting for the right moment to find its way onto the page and, eventually, onto the stage.
Where the Stories Begin
Honestly, I find ideas everywhere: in the books I read, in conversations, in everyday life, and sometimes even in people I have met only once, perhaps on a train.
We are a species that has evolved through tens of thousands of years of storytelling. We have always needed stories to understand the world, to pass on values, to dream, and to understand one another. I think that instinct is still deeply rooted in all of us.
I especially love creating fairy tales and stories for children because children are the most honest audience you can have. They don’t pretend to like something just because they are expected to. Through my stories, I try to entertain them, but also to pass on some of the values that I believe are important in life.
When a writer sits in front of a blank page, they are not facing emptiness. They are holding an entire world in their hands.
And I often joke at my own expense: if people who hear voices in their heads are considered crazy, then I must be in serious trouble, because there are five people having conversations in mine.
Building Del Arte and Turning Words Into Theatre
The idea for Del Arte actually came from a friend of mine who is an actor. He believed in us, and he believed in my work. Together, we founded the independent theatre Del Arte in 2011.
What followed became a remarkable journey. Over the years, we had hundreds of theatre performances, created our own productions, and produced hundreds of videos based on my scripts. We travelled extensively, performed for audiences in many different places, and were fortunate enough to receive several awards along the way.
But when I look back at more than a decade of that journey, I could never describe it as my success alone.
Del Arte was built by a team. It belongs to all the wonderful actors, collaborators and artists who became part of its story. Theatre is, by its very nature, a collective art. A single person may write the first line, but it takes many people to turn those words into magic.
Boris Bogdanovski: Dancer, Dance Instructor, and Performer
For Boris, dance is less about finding the perfect step and more about finding a reason to move.
His relationship with dance began almost spontaneously and grew into a way of creating, performing, teaching, and connecting with people of different ages and backgrounds. Movement became another language, one that gives him the freedom to express ideas and emotions that do not always translate easily into words.
His philosophy is refreshingly uncomplicated: there is no wrong way to begin, no age at which you have missed your chance, and no requirement to be perfect.
Sometimes, you just need to press play.
Where His Love for Dance Began
I always wanted to perform and create art. I would say we met spontaneously, and just like that, I discovered a new passion. If I had to say where my relationship with dance really began, it would be with a movie called Honey, which is such a great dance movie. I remember being so inspired by it that I started moving all the furniture around in my home just so I could have enough space to dance and learn.
That was probably the first moment when I realized there were so many different ways to create movement and express yourself through dance. What made this relationship stronger was the freedom dance gives. Dance also gave me a big stage in my mind, opening up many opportunities. Opportunities that let me discover and find different ways to express emotions that sometimes feel like speaking, just without using any words, just your body, something different that I think is just mine.
Endless love.
Expressing What Words Sometimes Can’t
For me, it’s mostly about creativity, because once you explain an idea or something you have felt for a long time and start talking about that feeling, I sometimes feel as if no one understands. So that is when the creativity kicks in. Creativity, because not everyone is in my head, and having this way to express myself is so fulfilling and so worth it, because you get to share it with the rest of the world.
I say creativity also because, for example, let’s say I am having negative thoughts or some feeling that I can’t explain, or I have been overthinking something, and I want to let it out. With dancing, that can easily change, because in the end it can be interpreted as a self-reflection, and that can be refreshing.
Movement can do wonders, even in the smallest way possible. It can be a monologue or a big performance with many people, and you just share your message through creativity.
Discovering People Through the Way They Dance
I’ve had the opportunity to work with children, elderly people, and people from many different backgrounds, and one of the things I love most is getting to know people through their dancing.
I would say the most rewarding part is seeing what people bring out of themselves.
That is incredibly rewarding to me because, through dance, I feel that I get a glimpse into someone’s mind. I get to see their creativity, their personality, their way of thinking, and sometimes even things they might not be able to express through words.
I also believe that everyone has something special within them, and dancing can be a beautiful way of bringing that out.
That, to me, is the greatest reward: to witness someone express something that is just theirs, in their own unique way, and to realize that, for a moment, I was able to help create the space for that expression to happen.
Too Old or Too Shy to Dance? Boris Has One Answer
I don’t want to sound cruel, but just SHUT UP AND DANCE!
There is no age limit, and there is nothing that you should ever be embarrassed about when it comes to dancing. I believe that everyone has something to offer. There are so many ways you can do it.
Allow your brain to take you on a journey. Visit different things in your imagination: be a bird, dance like a cat, tap your foot on the floor, whatever comes to you. There is no right or wrong way to start.
Just figure it out and have fun!
At the end of the day, dancing is about allowing yourself to move, explore, and enjoy the moment. You don’t have to be a professional, and you certainly don’t have to be perfect.
Just press play and dance.