Ballet & Classical Dance

Ballet was introduced to Turkey in 1948 and it was institutionalized from the very beginning. Nowadays there are six State Ballet Companies in Ankara, Istanbul, Antalya, Mersin, İzmir and Samsun (http://secure.dobgm.gov.tr). They have various programs, ranging from very classical pieces such as Swan Lake or Romeo and Juliet, to contemporary ballets of William Forsythe or Cristopher D’Amboise, Jose Martinez and Patrick Debana. The Istanbul Sate Ballet Company has been more active in the last three or four years than the other companies, introducing many new ballet pieces (www.idobale.com).

Apart from state companies there is only one independent ballet company, Çağdaş Bale Topluluğu / Contemporary Ballet Company, founded by Cem Ertekin in 1972. It is the only non-state sponsored ballet company established since then. (www.cagdasbaletoplulugu.com).