‘Call of Rumi’ goes to Beijing and Shanghai

YANGON - The Associated Press

The ballet will be staged as part of the closure of the ‘Year of Turkey’ events. AA Photo

The Mersin State Opera and Ballet (MDOB) will represent Turkey in China with the ballet work “Mevlana’nın Çağrısı” (The Call of Rumi).

The work will be staged on Feb. 28 at the Beijing Opera House in Beijing and on March 4 at the Shanghai Opera House in Shanghai as part of the closing ceremony of the Year of Turkey in the country. Dancer Ziya Azazi, who mixes dervish whirling performances with modern dance, will be the guest artist of the performance.

MDOB Art Director Erdoğan Şanal said they would represent both Turkey and Mersin in the performance in China. “The work has been on stage for the last two seasons and tickets are sold out. It was also staged in Samsun and İzmir. It is a masterpiece with its music and choreography, and it represents Turkey’s modern face.”

The text of the ballet was written by Şefik Kahramankaptan, while the music was composed by Can Atilla, based on the dance philosophy of the choreographer Mehmet Balkan.

The 13th-century poet Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi’s philosophy, which is based on people, God and love, continues to draw interest the world over.