― 15 июня 2024 г.

The International Ballet Competition of Istanbul has been successfully completed!

The Sixth International Ballet Competition of Istanbul sponsored by TURKSOY and Koluman Holding ended with a Gala Event and award ceremony  held on  June 14th,  2024 at the Ataturk Cultural Center. The competition  which featured colourful performances of young talents left undelible traces in the memories of the audience.

During the four-day event, 64 dancers took the stage. The semi-finals and finals organised in the junior and senior categories were watched with great interest. The final performances held on June 12th, 2024  at the Süreyya Opera in Kadıköy  was strongly appreciated by the audience.  In the first part of the event, art lovers who attended the Award Ceremony on Friday,  June 14th, 2024 got acquainted with members of the jury consisting of famous Ballet dancers. The second part of the event featuring  performances of  competitors who took the audience onto an unforgettable journey ended with  standing ovations.

TURKSOY Secretary General Sultan Raev: "We Carry Our Cultural Heritage to the Future"

Speaking at the opening of the event, TURKSOY Secretary General Sultan Raev emphasised the importance of art and cultural ties and said:

"Distinguished guests, dear art lovers, it is a great pleasure for me to meet you here today at the 6th International Ballet Competition of Istanbul. This event is a special platform where not only ballet art is celebrated, but also our cultural ties and cultural heritage which give meaning to our world."

In his speech, Raev also stressed the universal character of art and cultural richness saying: "Throughout history, we have raised great talents in all branches of art. We have world-class artists in many fields from painting to music, from theatre to literature. TURKSOY makes great efforts for the protection and development of our cultural richness by supporting each of these branches of art. In particular, ballet art draws attention as a universal art branch in which people express their emotions and stories through body language while carrying our cultural heritage to the future with both classical and contemporary interpretations."

Secretary General Raev who also emphasised the importance of the International Ballet Competition of  Istanbul  for young talents further added: "Istanbul hosted a fierce competition that lasted for a week. The 6th  International Ballet Competition of Istanbul offered a unique opportunity for our young talents to express themselves on the international stage. I would like to emphasise that the participants of our competition are not only dancers, but also carriers of our culture and representatives of our future. This competition is not only a platform where talents are discovered, but also a bridge between cultures, a festival where the bonds of friendship and brotherhood are strengthened."

Tan Sağtürk, the General Director of State Opera and Ballet: "Art is a Journey that Elevates the Human Spirit" 

Tan Sağtürk, the General Director and General Artistic Director of the State Opera and Ballet, emphasised the importance of the event in his short speech and thanked TURKSOY and other sponsors: "Welcome to the Award Ceremony and Gala Event of the 6th  International Ballet Competition of Istanbul. On behalf of the  General Directorate of State Opera and Ballet, let me express our pleasure to  have come together in this prestigious event. I would like to thank our main sponsor TURKSOY, which has always been one of our biggest supporters, our main sponsor Koluman Holding and other sponsors for their support. This event makes a great contribution to the development of the art of  ballet in Türkiye and enables young talents to be recognised internationally."

Award Categories and Winners:

Senior Category:

Girls (Solo): First: Riine Sasaki (Japan) First: Nilay Tahiroğlu (Türkiye) Third: Haruna Takeda (Japan) Boys (Solo): First: Ervin Zagidullin (Russia) Second: Kaname Noi (Japan) Third: Akyl Zhuas (Kazakhstan)

Junior Category:

Girls (Solo): First: Mavisu Tuğrul (Türkiye) Second: Ana Maria Potecea (Romania) Third: Duru Duygu Usta (Türkiye) Boys (Solo): First: Adilzhan Rakhmanov (Kazakhstan) First: Hüseyin Sefa Korkmaz (Türkiye) Third: Bartucan Şimşir (Türkiye) Special Awards:

TURKSOY Special Award: Alena Tatsenko (Kazakhstan)

Nilay Yeşiltepe Special Award: Milina Fidan Özbek (Türkiye) 

The  Jury of the Competition consisted of legendary ballet dancers.

The 6th Istanbul Ballet Competition was organised with Jae Keun Park as the President of the Jury, Sergey Usanov as Vice President and Evinç Sunal, Meriç Sümen, İnci Kurşunlu, Aisulu Tokombayeva, Mihaela Vieru, Beyhan Murphy and Tadeusz Matacz as the members of the Jury.

The competition was a great success by offering young dancers the opportunity to show themselves on an international platform. This important event, which was welcomed with great interest by art lovers, built new bridges of friendship between countries and once again revealed the universal language of the art of ballet.