Popular resort Bodrum to host ballet stars in August

BODRUM - Hürriyet Daily News

The 11th International Bodrum Ballet Festival will open on Aug 7 with the show ‘Hürrem Sultan’ by the artists of the Istanbul State Opera and Ballet. DHA photo

The Aegean province of Muğla’s Bodrum town will host the 11th International Bodrum Ballet Festival in August. The stars of Turkish and world ballet companies will come to the town for the festival.

Speaking about the festival, Bodrum Mayor Mehmet Kocadon said the municipality would bring the best examples of world-renowned ballet repertoires and unique works of Turkish ballet to the town.

The festival – organized by the Culture and Tourism Ministry, Opera and Ballet General Directorate and Bodrum Municipality – will take place Aug. 7 to 21 at the historical Bodrum Castle.

The festival will open with the show “Hürrem Sultan” by Istanbul State Opera and Ballet artists. The Samsun State Opera and Ballet will present “Bach Alla Turca” on Aug. 10 and 11. The festival will host the Ankara State Opera and Ballet on Aug. 14 with the show “The Amazons.”

One of the foreign ballet troupes at the festival will be South Korean Universal Ballet, which will present the show “Black Cake, Floresta Tango” on Aug. 17. The 11th International Bodrum Ballet Festival will end on Aug. 20 and 21 with the Siberian State Ballet’s show “Spartacus.”

Kocadon said Bodrum had been presenting itself in recent years with various culture and art events, festivals and concerts. “This is why the International Bodrum Ballet Festival is eagerly awaited by both Turkish and foreign tourists. The municipality did its best to host the best examples of Turkish and international ballet in the town. The festival, organized in one of Turkey’s most popular tourism spots, is the favorite event of Bodrum’s art lovers. We expect some 20,000 people will attend the festival this year.”