Jaynie Aydin Ethnographic Dance Research and Performance

Ethnographic Dance Research: Live Zeibekiko and Sirtaki Dance and Music in Bodrum, Turkey

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Well Friends of Dance Ethnography~
I am happy to give you all a quick report from Bodrum, Turkey where I am spending quality holiday time during this summer of 2011. I received an invitation to come and film Traditional Aegean Tavern dancing from Adem Guner, the owner of MEYHANI Taverna in Bodrum, Turkey (www.meyhani.com). Four nights a week during the summer season, the Tavern hosts some of the best traditional musicians from the Bodrum area as well as the neighboring Greek islands. It is a marvelous experience to watch Greek and Turkish musicians play side by side and observe how the regional music and dances, with slightly differing variants, are bringing folks together in the spirit of cultural celebration. After a few glasses of Raki and a forkful of delicious mezzes, I am inspired to leave my position behind the camera and get up to do a few ciftetelli dances for the many enthusiastic patrons at the tavern. I HIGHLY recommend that if any dancer or fan of Aegean music should find themselves in Bodrum, Turkey then a night at MEYHANI Taverna is a must on the list of things to do.

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