The capital city of Turkey, Ankara, lies in Central Anatolia, which in turn is located in the very heart of the historical Anatolia making up the westernmost protrusion of Asia and the majority of modern-day Turkey. As a land steeped in history, Anatolia offers a veritable wealth of historic monuments testifying to a great number of ethnic groups that over centuries came flooding the territory also known as Asia Minor. Among others, there were Hittites, Scythians, Assyrians, Persians, Mongols, Greeks and Romans. After the division of the Roman Empire, Anatolia became part of the Byzantine Empire and was one of the first places where Christianity spread. In the 15th century the peninsula began to be slowly absorbed by the Ottoman Empire, and the annexation process was completed a century later.
Hacettepe University Children and Youth Folk Dance Group was established in 1996, and currently numbers 200 dancers aged 10-20. Its mission is to be a true ambassador of the Turkish culture by popularising the dance and music traditions from different parts of the country. The ensemble has travelled widely, performing at a number of festivals abroad.
The Festival audience will have an opportunity to see dances from the region of the Black Sea, the environs of the town of Silifke, Eastern Anatolia, as well as Ankara Seymen dances (Seymens were part of the Seljuk military known for their unique uniforms and arms) and Zeybek dances (Zeybeks were irregular militia and guerrilla fighters).
The ensemble leader is Murat Ozkan, who is also, alongside Bahar Ozkan, a choreographer. The musical band will be playing a baglama (most common stringed instrument in Turkey), a zurna (a woodwind instrument producing a loud, high-pitched, piercing sound), a kaval (a woodwind shepherd instrument), a davul (a drum), a tef (a percussion instrument), a darbuka (a goblet-shaped drum) and a bendir (a tambourine-like instrument but with no jingles).
Hacettepe University Children and Youth Folk Dance Group was established in 1996, and currently numbers 200 dancers aged 10-20. Its mission is to be a true ambassador of the Turkish culture by popularising the dance and music traditions from different parts of the country. The ensemble has travelled widely, performing at a number of festivals abroad.
The Festival audience will have an opportunity to see dances from the region of the Black Sea, the environs of the town of Silifke, Eastern Anatolia, as well as Ankara Seymen dances (Seymens were part of the Seljuk military known for their unique uniforms and arms) and Zeybek dances (Zeybeks were irregular militia and guerrilla fighters).
The ensemble leader is Murat Ozkan, who is also, alongside Bahar Ozkan, a choreographer. The musical band will be playing a baglama (most common stringed instrument in Turkey), a zurna (a woodwind instrument producing a loud, high-pitched, piercing sound), a kaval (a woodwind shepherd instrument), a davul (a drum), a tef (a percussion instrument), a darbuka (a goblet-shaped drum) and a bendir (a tambourine-like instrument but with no jingles).