Modern Dans Toplulğu

Dancers: Nazil Dirin, Zeynep Körpeoğlu, Özlem Özdemir, Özlem Özükan, Ilke Sayiner, Anna Akabali. 'NOCTURNE', Choreographed by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. Photo: Hurriyet Website.

On Tuesday, after having my worst dance class since being in Turkey (Spoon dancing obviously), where nothing would go in and I seemed to keep getting the movement wrong when we were asked to perform alone, I went to the Theatre. My Dad's Aunt had told me she had got us tickets for the Opera. I didn't really know what to expect and wasn't sure if I could handle two classical concerts in two weeks! However to my surprise, it was a Contemporary dance performance. Performing was the Ankara Devlet Opera Ve Balesi, Modern Dans Toplulğu, which is the Ankara State Opera and Ballet's Modern Dance Group. The performance consisted of a triple bill with two different choreographers. The First piece NOCTURNE was choreographed by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, as was the third piece, IN<FUSION>IN. The second piece ÇEKIM, was choreographed by Deniz Alp.

It was the pre-set of the first piece NOCTURNE that made it immediately evident that this was a contemporary dance work, and suddenly I was on the edge of my seat. This piece consisted of an ensemble of six female dancers. They were all very clearly trained in classical ballet as well as contemporary and had extremeley strong technique. NOCTURNE sees the female dancers move through the space with fast paced floor work and elegant jumps and leaps. The dancers all began dressed in variations of long coats, dresses and heels, however as the piece continued items were removed leaving the performers in what looked like their undergarments. One of the dancers was left in a large white vest and white Y-fronts. She performed a solo to the sound of a child whispering. The combination of the costume (which looked rather like a nappy), the child's voice and the soft, quiet quality of the solo made the dancer seem child-like and vulnerable, which as an audience member was extremely endearing to watch. I really enjoyed this piece and it was by far my favourite of the evening.

Dancers: Deniz Alp, Özlem Özükan. 'ÇEKIM', Choreographed by Deniz Alp. Photo: Artilya Website.

Dancers: Emrah Keskin, Kerem Inanç. 'ÇEKIM', Choreographed by Deniz Alp. Photo: Artilya Website.

The second piece, ÇEKIM, was a quartet of two male and two female dancers. I felt there was a very obvious use of the four dancers, with two interchanging male/female duets. The four dancers whom were lit by a central spotlight, performed continuous lifts and partner work, every so often switching partners. None of the lifts were particularly innovative, although every so often a rather unique and interesting lift would occur. Unfortunately there was not enough of these moments and they were over within seconds. If you blinked you would have missed it! The dancers all were incredibly technical and if nothing else they were beautiful enough to watch alone (without paying attention to the choreography). However, as choreography is very important to me, I could not ignore it. Although I hate to say it, ÇEKIM reminded me slightly of an A-level exam piece, I know this, for any choreographer, is a really big insult but it was my honest opinion. 


When I read in the programme that IN<FUSION>IN was also choreographed by Ochoa, I was excited and had very high hopes for the closing piece of this performance. Unfortunately, I was rather disappointed. The dance work had the full cast of twenty dancers performing and they began all in unison. The dancers were evenly spaced across the stage in 4 lines of 5 dancers. They began performing a series of gestural movements with the use of body percussion. For example, a slap of the leg, followed by a whistle then two stamps with the feet. I felt that I have seen this type of thing many a time before and there was nothing fresh or new to this dance work. I found myself daydreaming on several occasions which was a great shame as it is the first live contemporary dance work I have seen for over two months.

Although it may sound like I had a negative experience of this contemporary dance performance, this was not the case! It was so great to see some contemporary dance here in Izmir, especially as often when I tell people that I am trained in contemporary, they either have never heard of it or assume that it is Salsa or Hip Hop. When it comes to trying to explain what I do back in the UK, it proves rather difficult, especially as Turkish is my second language. I was so pleased to see that in fact there is contemporary dance in Turkey although on a much smaller scale than England. From reading up on the company after the show I found that over the years they have commissioned several well known English contemporary choreographers, such as, Micheal Popper, Richard Alston and Lloyd Newson to name a few. Overall, it was a great experience to watch these works amongst an audience of many contemporary dance virgins. And it was a clear reminder of where I began and why I am here today.