“Buluşma” — 2023
May 26, 2023 · Süleyman Seba Fulya Arts and Cultural Center, Istanbul
“Buluşma,” Türkiye’s first adult ballet performance, brought 60 women — all adult ballet students — together with an audience on stage.
About the Performance
Since 2011, under the leadership of our founder Ekin Akbaş Arpacı, our institution has brought adults with no prior ballet background together with ballet and dance. In 2023, we achieved a first in Türkiye: 60 women, all adult ballet students, took the stage in a performance titled “Buluşma.”
The performance, consisting of 17 different choreographies, was presented to an audience of more than 650 people; when the curtain fell, the audience gave the dancers a standing ovation that lasted for several minutes. Elidor, which supports young women in pursuing their own paths, accompanied this milestone as the main sponsor of the performance.
This performance, which will be presented to our audience by women in Türkiye from different ages, body types, and professions, all without a background in ballet or dance, is tremendously exciting for both me and our institution. I invite you to accompany this intense and unique journey — in which our students have brought forward not only their discipline, courage, and bodies, but also their hearts — with your applause.
Ekin Akbaş Arpacı — before the performance
After the performance, Arpacı also expressed the pride she felt in her students, who showed the courage to take their first step onto the stage, as well as in all the professionals who contributed to the production: seeing 60 strong, confident, and passionate women receive a standing ovation for minutes became an unforgettable moment for the institution.
Stage Photos
Supporters
Main Sponsor: Elidor
“Buluşma” became the first major stage expression of our institution’s belief that “anyone, at any age, can do ballet,” and paved the way for the stage productions that followed in later years. For more information about our stage work, please contact us.
