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heartquake

Performances:

20 June 2026 Dance People - Le Happening - Lyon - France

21 May 2026 - ARC For Dance Festival - Athens -  Greece

16 March 2026 ParibuArt İstanbul Türkiye

14 February 2026 - What Next Festival in Limerick - Ireland 

19 February 2026 Take Off Festival in Cork - Ireland  

14-15 February 2025 - Moussem Cities İstanbul Festival - KaaiStudios - Brussels 

31 January 2025 - ARTER İstanbul ( with support of SRII & Konstnärsnämnden Sweden ) 

17th September 2024 - Alan Kadıköy İstanbul -  Fringe İstanbul Festival

10th June 2024 - Zorlu PSM İstanbul %100 Studio 

4-5th May 2024 - MDT Stockholm premiere

heartquake is a choreographic tryout on living on shaky ground; both metaphorically and literally. It is inspired by Turkey’s political and geographical realities and focuses on the idea that “The land shapes the habitants’ way of thinking.” 

 

I started this artistic research right after the big earthquake took place in the southeast part of Turkey (06.02.2023) which caused thousands of people’s deaths. It was the time when the “unholy trinity” of uncertainty, insecurity, and unsafety was at its peak. That was like a bad summary of the region; it is not possible to build something in there; a career, a family, a home, a life… There is always something that happens to demolish what has been established. Sometimes it’s an earthquake or sometimes it’s bad political situations… 

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photos: Jonas Bilberg

How can you imagine a future for yourself while the big shake is on the way and the shakes constantly change what you’ve dreamed of? In a land where people grow up hearing about ancient cities once they have been all destroyed by earthquakes, how can you build something when you know it’ll eventually be demolished? How can you put trust in an institution which is basically a building made of concrete?  When everything keeps falling apart, what is left other than each other’s support and the endless effort of human beings? Maybe to a far extent, this may even explain the so-long-presence of the one political person.

 

People do not have to have anxieties just because of political situations or maybe all the anxieties are political.

 

Corinth, the homeland of Sisyphus is one of the most seismically active places in Europe. 


 

Credits

 

Choreography & Concept:  Ekin Tunçeli

Dance:  Halil İbrahim Aygün, Gizem Seçkin, Diren Ezgi Yıldızkan

Sound:  including tracks from various artists: Ah! Kosmos, Ekin Tunçeli, Cucina Povera & Haron, Dinamarca

Supervision:  Jennifer Lacey, Stina Nyberg

Sound Supervision:  Barış Bingöl

Costume:  Mert Yemenicioğlu

Light Design:  M.Ali Dönmez

Duration:  40 min. 

 

Special thanks to MAKOR people & Jennifer Lacey, Zorlu PSM, Büşra Tuna, Ufuk Fakıoğlu, Melih Kıraç, Beste Demir, Martin Siewke; Çıplak Ayaklar Kumpanyası, Zeynep & Irmak Koyuncu, KHAS Film ve Drama, MSGSÜ Modern Dans ASD., Akbank Sanat, Exanimo house, Güneşülkesi Sanat for studio support

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poster: Ekin Tunçeli

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