In 10 years ’Troy’ plays for over 350,000 people
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Anatolia News Agency
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mart 17, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - 'Troy,' performed by Turkey's largest dance company, 'Fire of Anatolia,' has been so far viewed by more than 350,000 people in the world. We work with the world’s best dancers,’ says art director Mustafa Erdoğan
More than 350,000 have watched "Troy," the magical creation from art director Mustafa Erdoğan, which began its run in April last year. Speaking to the Anatolia news agency, Erdoğan said the theoretical preparations for the production, during which 120 dancers perform for one-and-a-half hours, began in 1999, and practical preparations began four years ago.
Erdoğan said the performance was brought to the stage after very long and comprehensive efforts. "This is a magnificent team and a large group of people. There are artists with international success on the team. We have worked not only with the best dancers in Turkey, but also of the world," he said.
The performance was created after theoretical and archaeological work, practical work for dancing and staging, and technical work for costumes, music and presentation to audiences. "But all these things are not enough. The production must be proven in front of audiences from Turkey and the world. This process will continue for 20 more years. In the 10th anniversary of the Fire of Anatolia, we are still doing the same thing," he said.
Erdoğan also told of how they chose the troupe’s dancers. "Our dancers have to pass a four-stage exam: folk dance, ballet, modern dance and music rhythm. Body harmony is also important. Those who pass these exams, work with us for a month. That stage was to test their ability to live together. We see if they can act with the group or not. If they pass all these exams, they work with us."
Erdoğan, explained why he joins the rehearsals and tries the dances while working on the choreography. "If I can do it before the dancers, I think that I motivate them. If I don’t get tired, they give a better performance. When I do the risky actions first, it encourages them. We use real knifes in fighting scenes. There is no trick there. The sparks are real. Metal pieces fly in the air. This is risky but the reaction is great when we do it for the audiences," he said.
Problem of staging
Erdoğan said due to its wide staff, choreography and stage setting, it was impossible for "Troy" to be staged anywhere but the Istanbul Gösteri Merkezi (Istanbul Show Center). "There is no stage to perform this play in Ankara. It is very hard in İzmir and impossible in other Anatolian cities. We have opened a theater in Antalya in order to stage the performance. Gloria Aspendos Arena was established last year for shows like this. The show will be staged in front of the Giza Pyramids in April. I think it is the world’s most beautiful stage," he said.
When asked if he could reach his goals in both the cultural and financial fields, Erdoğan said: "Its financial return is not important to us, because we invest the income in new projects. It is a great success to maintain that big project. We have 300 dancers, and a place larger than a factory. We sometimes have problems paying the wages of 300 people but we are still working passionately. Even if we earn a lot of money, we will invest it in new projects. That’s why we don’t have time to take a breath."
’Istanbul Dreams’ for 2010
Erdoğan, who is currently working on a show named, "Istanbul Dreams" to be staged as part of the Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture projects, said they would promote Turkey with a high-quality production.
"We are thinking of the establishment of a permanent theater to host the guests. We want everyone coming to Istanbul in 2010 and the future years to experience this dream. We will introduce the city of Istanbul with its history, rich religions and different national colors to the world," Erdoğan said.
Planning to establish an alternative dance academy in the city of Troy in the northeastern city of Çanakkale, Erdoğan said work for "Turkey Musical," featuring the process from the Battle of the Dardanelle’s to the present, is continuing as well.
Performance ’Troy’ in numbers
Erdoğan, Alper Aksoy, Oktay Keresteci, Serdar Sezer, Oğuzhan Özel and Emre Çelik have prepared the choreography of the performance of "Troy." Associate Professor Rüstem Arslan is working as the production’s history consultant.
Before the first performance, the cast went through 7,200 hours of rehearsals. The music was created by the Prague Symphony Orchestra and the chorus and guest virtuosos, Civan Gasparyan, Vasilis Saleas and Gheorghe Zamfir, after 5,400 hours of work.
12,000 meters of material has been used for the play’s costumes. They were prepared in 10 different workshops. 150 lighting robots are used for the stage lighting by Christopher Ash and Andrej Wilder. "Troy" was first staged last year and has so far been viewed by more than 350,000 people.
Erdoğan said the performance was brought to the stage after very long and comprehensive efforts. "This is a magnificent team and a large group of people. There are artists with international success on the team. We have worked not only with the best dancers in Turkey, but also of the world," he said.
The performance was created after theoretical and archaeological work, practical work for dancing and staging, and technical work for costumes, music and presentation to audiences. "But all these things are not enough. The production must be proven in front of audiences from Turkey and the world. This process will continue for 20 more years. In the 10th anniversary of the Fire of Anatolia, we are still doing the same thing," he said.
Erdoğan also told of how they chose the troupe’s dancers. "Our dancers have to pass a four-stage exam: folk dance, ballet, modern dance and music rhythm. Body harmony is also important. Those who pass these exams, work with us for a month. That stage was to test their ability to live together. We see if they can act with the group or not. If they pass all these exams, they work with us."
Erdoğan, explained why he joins the rehearsals and tries the dances while working on the choreography. "If I can do it before the dancers, I think that I motivate them. If I don’t get tired, they give a better performance. When I do the risky actions first, it encourages them. We use real knifes in fighting scenes. There is no trick there. The sparks are real. Metal pieces fly in the air. This is risky but the reaction is great when we do it for the audiences," he said.
Problem of staging
Erdoğan said due to its wide staff, choreography and stage setting, it was impossible for "Troy" to be staged anywhere but the Istanbul Gösteri Merkezi (Istanbul Show Center). "There is no stage to perform this play in Ankara. It is very hard in İzmir and impossible in other Anatolian cities. We have opened a theater in Antalya in order to stage the performance. Gloria Aspendos Arena was established last year for shows like this. The show will be staged in front of the Giza Pyramids in April. I think it is the world’s most beautiful stage," he said.
When asked if he could reach his goals in both the cultural and financial fields, Erdoğan said: "Its financial return is not important to us, because we invest the income in new projects. It is a great success to maintain that big project. We have 300 dancers, and a place larger than a factory. We sometimes have problems paying the wages of 300 people but we are still working passionately. Even if we earn a lot of money, we will invest it in new projects. That’s why we don’t have time to take a breath."
’Istanbul Dreams’ for 2010
Erdoğan, who is currently working on a show named, "Istanbul Dreams" to be staged as part of the Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture projects, said they would promote Turkey with a high-quality production.
"We are thinking of the establishment of a permanent theater to host the guests. We want everyone coming to Istanbul in 2010 and the future years to experience this dream. We will introduce the city of Istanbul with its history, rich religions and different national colors to the world," Erdoğan said.
Planning to establish an alternative dance academy in the city of Troy in the northeastern city of Çanakkale, Erdoğan said work for "Turkey Musical," featuring the process from the Battle of the Dardanelle’s to the present, is continuing as well.
Performance ’Troy’ in numbers
Erdoğan, Alper Aksoy, Oktay Keresteci, Serdar Sezer, Oğuzhan Özel and Emre Çelik have prepared the choreography of the performance of "Troy." Associate Professor Rüstem Arslan is working as the production’s history consultant.
Before the first performance, the cast went through 7,200 hours of rehearsals. The music was created by the Prague Symphony Orchestra and the chorus and guest virtuosos, Civan Gasparyan, Vasilis Saleas and Gheorghe Zamfir, after 5,400 hours of work.
12,000 meters of material has been used for the play’s costumes. They were prepared in 10 different workshops. 150 lighting robots are used for the stage lighting by Christopher Ash and Andrej Wilder. "Troy" was first staged last year and has so far been viewed by more than 350,000 people.