“Devinim” — 2026
June 9, 2026 · AKM Theatre Hall, Istanbul
Our institution’s third major stage production, “Devinim,” brought 55 dancers to the AKM stage, placing the transformation stories of adult bodies at its core.
About the Performance
Ekin Akbaş Ballet and Dance’s new stage production, “Devinim,” met audiences at the AKM Theatre Hall on June 9, 2026. Shaped around the themes of transformation, memory, resilience, and new beginnings, the performance featured a total of 55 adult ballet dancers.
Bringing together artists, academics, scientists, and thought leaders from different fields under one roof, the performance concluded with the dancers and creative team receiving a standing ovation that lasted for several minutes.
Every dancer on stage carried a personal life experience with them: those continuing to dance during pregnancy, those who had recently given birth, those balancing demanding professional lives with rehearsals, and those who kept dancing through challenging health journeys. The ensemble also included a male ballet dancer who discovered ballet as an adult and took the stage as part of the production.
In my practice, I approach the body not simply as something that moves, but as a subject that thinks, remembers, resists, and rebuilds itself. Devinim was the stage expression of this perspective. That night, what we witnessed on stage was not only choreography, but years of effort, courage, vulnerability, and transformation. Every body was there with its own story. The applause that lasted for minutes belonged not only to the performance on stage, but to everyone who dares to move, transform, and begin again.
Ekin Akbaş Arpacı
Stage Photos
Supporters
Main Sponsor: Elidor
Sponsors: KAFT, Brown-Forman, Penti, NYX Professional Makeup, Memorial, Algida, Züber
For more information about our stage productions, please contact us.
