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Ottawa Turkish Festival Grounds Schedule

All events are free of charge

  Print version

 

Demonstration Times in Permanent Exhibits

• Turkish Pottery (1:45 pm, 3:45 pm, 5:45 pm, 7:45 pm)
• Turkish Calligraphy (2:45 pm, 4:45pm, 6:45 pm, 8:45pm)
• Water Marbling - Ebru (2:15 pm, 4:15 pm , 6:15 pm, 8:15 pm)

 

Whirling Dervishes of Rumi
They perform their praise of God in the form of a "dance" and music ceremony called the Sema, which involves the whirling from which the order acquired its nickname. The Sema represents a mystical journey of man's spiritual ascent through mind and love to "Perfect". Turning towards the truth, the follower grows through love, deserts his ego, finds the truth and arrives at the "Perfect". He then returns from this spiritual journey as a man who has reached maturity and a greater perfection, so as to love and to be of service to the whole of creation. The Sema was practised in the semahane (ritual hall) according to a precisely prescribed symbolic ritual with the dervishes whirling in a circle around their sheikh, who is the only one circling around his axis. The Sema is performed by spinning on the right foot. The dervishes wear a white gown (symbol of death), a wide black cloak (symbol of the grave) and a high brown cap (symbol of the tombstone).

Murat Toy
A Festival classic, Toronto Turkish singer Murat Toy will be performing Turkish Pop, Folk, Classical, Fantasy and Arabesque songs. Murat has published three albums to date and is a popular invitee to celebratory events.

Evren
Evren Ozdemir known by his stage name EVREN, is a Canadian rapper, producer, and songwriter. Writing music since the early age of 13, Evren began to capture the interest of various industry professionals, leading to his involvement in writing material for hit television series including Degrassi: The Next Generation, Instant Star, Billable Hours, and The Best Years. As well as licensing material for TV shows, Evren began composing songs for national advertising campaigns including Toyota, Telus, and Rogers. In 2002 Evren won the ISC People's Voice Online Voting Award for co-writing the Degrassi: The Next Generation theme song, “Whatever It Takes”. He has also worked on spots for Artists Against Racism, as well as voice work for Kelloggs, Nike, and McDonalds, among others. Despite his involvement in the TV and advertising world, Evren's primary focus drew him towards working on longer format projects for various artists and singers, including his own records, Conflict of Interest (2002), Unknown MC (2004), I Think Not (2008) and his latest up and coming release, A Little Bit of Love (2010). After years of working on both independent productions, as well as higher profile campaigns, Evren’s work as a songwriter came to fruition when he wrote the hit song "We Could Be The Same" for Turkish mega band, maNga, which went on to place 2nd in the international European song contest Eurovision in 2010. Members: Evren Özdemir, Renan Yıldızdoğan, Courtney Brooks, Jonathan Cooper, Dean Elliott, Torrie Seager

Turkish Youth Folk Dance and Music Ensemble
The Youth Folk Dance and Music Ensemble is supported by Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism – General Directorate of Fine Arts. The Ensemble will be traveling all the way from Turkey to Ottawa to perform at the Ottawa Turkish Festival, providing festival attendees and cultural tourists with a rare opportunity to see genuine Turkish folk dance performed live. The Ensemble performs the traditional dances of Turkey and represents traditional Turkish arts and culture through its traditional dances and its vibrant colours, costumes, and folk instruments. The rich culture of Anatolia, an important part of the folk music and authentic folk dance forms of our natural environment, is compiled from research conducted by the Ministry of Culture Authority. The Ensemble has gained international acclaim by performing both domestically and internationally, including performances in Japan, Korea, Greece, and many European countries. They will feature dances from the Thrace, Marmara, Black Sea, Aegean, Central Anatolia, Eastern Anatolia, South Eastern Anatolia regions and not to mention the Whirling Dervishes of Rumi. Members: Kemal Sekmen (Arts Director), Çetin Akdeniz (Dance Instructor), Derya Çetin, Didem Rodoplu, Belçim Tınaz, Hande Şuvak, Özge Yılmaz, Selma Bulut, Şenay Alpaslan, Gökçe Küçülbakar, Belgin Şenalp, Çağrı Aksan, Esat Karacan , İsmail Eraslan, Erdal Hazer, Orhan Alptekin, Mustafa Yılmaz, Bora Kılınç, Ceyhun Yıldırım, Ali Şar, Gazi Armağan

Bulgarian Folk Dance Group Rodina
The rich Bulgarian folklore is the source for the group’s repertoire. It includes dances and songs from different ethnographic regions of Bulgaria: the playfulness of Misia, the swift as the wind rhythms of Shopluka, the passionate warm-heartedness of sunny Thrace, and the romantic rebel spirit of the Pirin Mountains.

Polish Dance Group Vistula
The Polish Theater Group is a nonprofit organization established in 1953 in Ottawa. The Group strives to preserve and promote Polish Culture and Heritage through concerts and performances. The group has performed over 200 public shows in Ontario and Quebec. Now, the Polish dance Group “Vistula” the section of the Polish Theater under the direction of Ms. Stefania Baraniak has the honor of performing at the Turkish Festival.

Karagöz and Hacivat Puppet Show
Karagöz (meaning blackeye in Turkish) and Hacivat are the lead characters of the traditional Turkish shadow play, popularized during the Ottoman period. The central theme of the plays are the contrasting interaction between the two main characters: Karagöz represents the illiterate but straightforward public, whereas Hacivat belongs to the educated class, speaking Ottoman Turkish and using a poetical and literary language. Karagöz's native wit always gets the better of Hacivat's learning (but his money-making ventures always fail). Artist: Mr. Suat Veral

Water Marbling (Ebru)
Paper marbling is a method of aqueous surface design, which can produce patterns similar to marble or other stone, hence the name. The patterns are the result of color floated on either plain water or a viscous solution known as size, and then carefully transferred to a sheet of paper (or other surfaces such as fabric). This decorative material has been used to cover a variety of surfaces for several centuries. It is often employed as a writing surface for calligraphy, and especially book covers and endpapers in bookbinding and stationery. Part of its appeal is that each print is a unique monotype. Artist: Ms. Seydanur Celebi

Turkish Calligraphy
Turkish Calligraphy, basically, is the writing of Latin letters applied within the esthetics of Calligraphy, which has received interest to a certain degree in the last 30 years. The scribes usually display their skills at fairs and exhibitions as they produce works of Calligraphy in a few seconds without any template, in the presence of visitors with customized on-demand applications. The Admirers of this art ask the scribe to write a person’s name, the name of a company, or beautiful saying on cards, key rings, plates and tablets to use as ornaments of gifts. Artist: Mr. Murat Cabuk

Turkish Pottery
Turkish pottery has a very long history, going as far back as the 8th century A.D. It has an important place in traditional Turkish art, derives from middle Asia which came with the Seljuk’s to Anatolia. It became a very important part of both Anatolian Seljuk’s and the Ottoman Empire Culture. Its products show the beauty of the lifestyle of Palaces to mansions, from fountains to caravansaries. Artist: Mr. Abdullah Ercan Ozer

Henna
Henna or Hina (Lawsonia inermis) is a flowering plant used since antiquity to dye skin, hair, fingernails, leather and wool. The name is also used for dye preparations derived from the plant, and for the art of temporary tattooing based on those dyes. Additionally, the name is misused for other skin and hair dyes, such as black henna or neutral henna, which do not derive from the plant. Artist: Ms. Shameena Begum

 

Ottawa Turkish Festival Events Schedule

 All events are free of charge

  Print version

 

What to expect on Festival Grounds?

 

 

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