RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- A Palestinian dance group will compete in an international festival due to be held in Bulgaria in mid-July, a statement from the group said.

'Funooniyat', a Dabke group, will represent Palestine in the festival, which will see 45 other countries compete in the dance competition.

Palestinian participation in the festival is another step towards protecting Palestinian history and cultural heritage, head of the group Iyad Dahadha said.

He thanked Bulgaria for its invitation to compete, as well as the Palestinian ambassador in Bulgaria, Ahmad al-Madbooh, for his efforts.

The team will spend eight days in Bulgaria, having previously spent 6 months performing in Morocco.

Fonoyat, from Ramallah, was founded in 2002 through by a group of dancers. The team try to combine tradition and modernity through a combination of dances, inspired by the traditional Palestinian folkloric dance of Dabke.