Organized by the State Opera and Ballet Branch, our country’s first and only ballet festival, the 17th Bodrum International Ballet Festival offers a feast of art with a rich program and enchanting performances .
In addition to four very special works, which were premiered at the National Opera and Ballet Directorate in Turkey and around the world and each sold for one performance, the festival will feature eight performances of six works as well as two performed works by visiting foreign groups.
A highly privileged festival in Turkey’s cultural and artistic life, the 17th Bodrum International Ballet Festival will host special foreign groups, which have a worldwide fan base. Among them are the National Ballet of Georgia, one of the most professional dance ensembles in the world, and Aida Gomez, the queen of flamenco, and her dance ensemble.
OPENING WITH ‘FRIDA’
The festival opens on Saturday with “Frida”, a work from the modern dance repertoire. Directed and choreographed by Özgür Adam İnanç, “Frida” will be staged by Mersin State Opera and Ballet with music by Arturo Marquez, Jose Pablo Moncayo and Can Aksel Akın. The play tells the story of the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. Despite Frida’s serious health problems at a young age, her passion for clinging to life through painting will be interpreted with a modern dance in two acts.
NATIONAL BALLET OF GEORGIA
Comprised of 60 dancers and 10 musicians and considered one of the most professional dance ensembles in the world, the Georgia Sukhishvili National Ballet will provide rhythmic, rhythmic dances for art lovers for approximately two hours on August 6-7. Having visited more than 90 countries and reaching 50 million fans on some of the world’s most prestigious stages, the Georgia Sukhishvili National Ballet broke a record at La Scala with audiences summoning them to the stage 14 times.
Blending folk themes with modern choreography, they will enact the Georgian people’s tales of war, heroism and love with their magnificent performance, using rhythmic, rhythmic steps.
The festival, during which the public will be able to see internationally successful works and ensembles, will bring together two classic ballet works from the State Opera and Ballet with the audience of the North Moat of Bodrum Castle .
The love of Romeo and Juliet, which has been the subject of various operas, ballets and plays around the world, will be staged by the Izmir State Opera and Ballet on August 10, with the libretto and unique choreography by Volkan Ersoy and Armağan Davran, award-winning choreographers from Turkey. Arranged with music by Tchaikovsky, the ballet “Romeo and Juliet” is the first in the world with this interpretation. The musical arrangements were made by Tolga Taviş and the performance of the two-act work is about the love of Romeo and Juliet, the children of two feuding families who fall in love immediately the minute they meet. This world famous love story will be carried on stage with the elegance of classical ballet.
The festival continues with the second classical ballet piece, “Scheherazade”, which premiered in Antalya. The work, which will be performed on August 14, is staged by the Antalya State Opera and Ballet with the libretto and choreography by Armağan Davran. The musical arrangements are made by Bujor Hoinic, who combined Korsakov’s “Scheherazade” ballet suite with other important works by Korsakov. The performance is one of the most important works in the festival program with its impressive narration. The two-act work is about the love of Zohre, the daughter of the famous city merchant Mahmud, and Behram, the son of Sultan Shah Levend and the beautiful daughter of Vizier Abubakr, Zahara and his deadly plan to stop this love.
THE FLAMENCO QUEEN
The fire of flamenco will burn at the Bodrum International Ballet Festival, which will present works and ensembles that have achieved success on the international stage with all the colors of dance and music with the famous Aida Gomez and Dance Ensemble.
Known for her performance of “Carmen”, flamenco master and award-winning choreographer Aida Aguda Gomez, who is one of the principal dancers of the National Ballet of Spain and started dancing at an early age, will perform with her dance Aida Gomez Ensemble, which she founded and directs, on August 17 and 18. This special “Carmen” show, accompanied by the unforgettable music of Bizet, is arranged by Jose Antonio Rodriguez. The ensemble toured the world and was received with great acclaim in Turkey with their performance in 2006.
FENCE WITH ‘JIZEL’
The festival will close with “Jizel”, a dramatic dance piece by Modern Dance Ensemble Istanbul (MDTist), the young and dynamic ensemble of Istanbul State Opera and Ballet. “Jizel”, presented in a dramatic modern dance interpretation of the world classic ballet “Giselle” by choreographer Aysun Aslan, will be performed on August 21 by the Modern Dance Ensemble Istanbul of the Istanbul State Opera and Ballet. The “Giselle” ballet will come to life as “Jizel”, with an interpretation suited to our geography and the social structure and texture of today’s world. This different version of “Jizel”, in which classic characters such as Albrecht, Giselle, Hilarion and Myrtha are represented as Alb, Jizel, Hila and Mirta and represented with the special style of Aysun Aslan, will be united with the classic value by Adolph Adam. The 17th Bodrum International Ballet Festival will close with this special work of art, providing the audience with a dynamic and enthusiastic evening.
