Today’s A Journey
through Aesthetic Realms
will be presented
in Turkish,
with subtitles in Arabic,
Aulacese (Vietnamese),
Chinese, English,
French, German,
Hungarian, Indonesian,
Japanese, Korean,
Mongolian, Persian,
Portuguese, Russian,
Spanish and Turkish.
Greetings, spirited viewers,
and welcome to
A Journey through
Aesthetics Realms
on Supreme Master
Television.
The beautiful island
country of Cyprus
is a shining jewel in the
Eastern Mediterranean.
Besides pleasant weather
and a gorgeous landscape,
it is rich in history
and culture.
Today, we will have
a glimpse of
the time-honored
traditional Turkish
Cypriot folk dance
through our interview
with the HASDER
Folk Arts Foundation,
a nonprofit organization
based in the capital city
of Nicosia.
Let’s now meet some
of the members
of this vibrant group.
My name is Çise Zekai.
Since 1993,
I’ve been engaged
in folk arts at HASDER.
Besides folk dancing,
I am busy with our
various local music,
dances and different
activities for youth
at our Foundation.
Hi, I’m Hasan Abohorlu.
I’ve been working
at HASDER for 28 years.
I started in the children's
group as a folklore dancer.
Now I work as musician;
at the same time
I’m a member of
the board at HASDER.
My own profession is…
I’m a civil engineer.
My name is Handan Nebih.
I started as a dancer.
I’ve been a member
of the board.
Maybe for 15 years
I’ve been doing coaching.
My name is Eran Raman.
I have a bachelor’s
degree from
the Ankara Conservatory.
I play the flute. Here,
I’m a member of the State
Symphony Orchestra
and an instructor
at the Music Department
of the East Mediterranean
University.
Hi, I’m Pembe Gültekin.
I’ve graduated from
the Music Department of
the East Mediterranean
University. I received
violin education there.
Ms. Handan kindly
introduces to us
how the dance company
is organized.
HASDER has
a children’s group.
There is a group
for tiny ones. We have
a middle age group,
high school group,
and adult group.
We have five groups.
Based in religious rituals,
the improvisional
Turkish Cypriot dances
are an integral
part of folk life
and are performed
at ceremonial occasions.
To preserve and enrich
this precious folklore,
HASDER has conducted
systematic research.
In 1981,
with a group of friends,
we felt a kind of void
about folk dancing,
about folklore.
And together
we started to do this.
We started the dances.
I was an active member
of the board.
We went to villages
to collect the dances.
We observed how
our elders performed.
Because we didn’t have
any documentation of
what kind of
performances there were,
what our ancestors,
our elders performed.
HASDER has researched
these for a long time.
We collected these and
enhanced these dances.
In a Cypriot folk dance,
men’s performance
displays their strength
and skill.
The dancer makes crisp
and loud finger snaps
to match the beat
of the music.
Women’s dances,
on the other hand,
show their gentle styles.
This is the characteristic
folk dance of Cyprus.
The ones who perform
more lively are men.
Women are slower,
they need to dance
more slowly but while
adjusting it to the stage,
we make it a little more lively.
Usually busy dances
are for men; they give
lively performances:
steps, turnings,
clapping, and so on.
These dances have been
performed at various
celebrations in our
villages by Cypriots,
for weddings, for
engagement ceremonies,
for henna nights.
Our dances
are categorized as
“karşılamalar,”
“çiftetelli,” “kozan,”
“zeybekler,” and
dramatized dances .
Let’s take a look at a few
classic Cypriot dances.
Sickle Dance is a men’s
dance performed
at social events.
It demonstrates
the speed at which
men harvests crops.
You saw the sickle
in the performance.
In the past, a sickle
is used to cut wheat
and barley. It’s a tool.
We dramatize this
to the stage.
You see, children
establish an environment
by twisting the sickle
with their own skills.
Kartizilamas is a suite
of dances consisting
of multiple episodes.
Kartizilamas can be
performed by either
men or women pairs.
It concludes with
a circular dance called
syrtos, where everyone
is invited to join.
“Karşılamalar,”
these are the dances
performed by our elders.
People perform as if
they organize a show
for themselves
by coming face to face.
They’re separated
into two as
“Men’s karşılamaları”
and
“Women’s karşılamaları.”
During wedding ceremonies,
a unique dance
is performed by the bride
and the groom,
involving the passing
of a special object.
“Çiftetelliler”
is a cheerful dance that is
performed at weddings.
The dance we call
“kozan”
is performed with a jug.
It’s a welcoming and
farewell music for brides
at weddings.
Sweets and money
are put into the jug.
It’s covered with a red cloth.
And the jug finally
is broken by the bride.
The sweets and money
inside are for
the happiness of
the newly married couple.
Money symbolizes
that they have wealth,
that they earn money;
sweets are for a soft life
for them.
The broken pieces of the
jug mean a lot of children
and a lot of happiness.
Originating
from everyday life,
the dancing costumes
are practical and colorful.
We have various costumes.
We call this costume
“cepken.” It consist of
four components.
The trousers we call
“don,” we wear a long
shirt over it.
On this we wear our
“cepken,” our “üç etek,”
our “kuşak,”
our “yemeni,”
our “beşi birlik.”
And again we have
earrings in the shape of
“lira.”
There are other kinds
of these clothes.
This kind of ornate types
have been worn more
at weddings.
There are smoother,
more simple ones.
Those have been used
in daily life, too.
The more simple ones
are still worn by the elders
who live in villages.
“Yemeni” is used
by our old grannies
in villages again.
Next, we learn about
the musical instruments
which are used to
accompany traditional
Cypriot dances.
The music that we play,
is native to Cyprus.
It is traditional Cypriot
music that Cypriots
or Turkish Cypriots play
for their dances.
For traditional
Cypriot music,
there are instruments
that Turks use.
There is the lute.
There is the goblet drum,
which gives rhythm.
The main instrument
is the violin.
Violin is the one which is
used by both Greeks
and Turkish Cypriots
and Greek Cypriots
commonly and as a main
solo instrument.
This instrument is called
the lute. This instrument
originally comes from
the Arabians.
Through the Ottoman Empire,
it is believed
to have come to Cyprus.
As a rhythm instrument,
Turks use the goblet drum.
All of these
are traditional
Cypriot instruments.
The special combination
of instruments creates
a unique style of
vivacious music which
inspires the energetic
Cypriot folk dance.
We’ve written down
the musical notes
of all the songs we play.
We render them
according to our own ideas.
And I think the most
distinct difference
in our group is that solos
can be heard very clearly.
We play our percussions
all in one breath. There is
not much rest, no gap.
Cypriot music is like that.
Violin, goblet drum,
accordion: these are
lively instruments.
Therefore, our people
also like cheerful,
lively music.
They start to dance once
they hear the sound
of the goblet drum.
We have lively music,
we have lively people,
although our weather is hot.
Once they hear
that kind of music,
they are alive and well.
Playing Cypriot music,
music of our own culture,
give us a particular
excitement. We definitely
feel very happy because
we play that music.
Throughout the years,
the HASDER dance group
has brought this
cheerful spirit to
many parts of the world.
For their professional
performances, they have
garnered several awards.
We share these dances
at various festivals,
various competitions,
various celebrations…
with both Cypriot people
and from abroad, various
audiences and youth,
we share with them.
Every year, we go
to a European country,
or Turkey, for festivals.
For example,
this year, we’ve been
to Macedonia.
So, we have a chance
to show our culture
in Europe, in Turkey.
At the concerts
that we give abroad,
when we play our own music,
both in a classical style
and in a recital style and
also in folkloric style,
people are definitely
impressed.
The biggest award
we have received was
a championship award
in 1988 at
an international festival
in Antalya (Turkey).
It was a very good festival
and it was a very difficult
festival but we came first.
Again in France,
in Dijon, we received
third prize for HASDER.
Apart from the awards,
the greatest pleasure
of the dance tours
for the members of
HASDER dance group
is sharing their culture.
The traditional culture
of Cyprus is rich.
It has a wide range.
For dances, for music,
it’s not monotone.
It’s lively and native
to Cyprus. Generally,
it has the liveliness of the
Mediterranean people
inside.
And Cyprus intends
to introduce that culture
to the whole world.
Sharing our culture
with others
makes me very happy.
When we make this music
and when we share it
with our friends here,
we are really happy.
We enjoy it a lot.
We meet new friends
at each practice.
Especially abroad, we
share with new cultures.
Consequently,
we learn their cultures.
We become friends with
people from new cultures.
We get the chance to
communicate with them.
At the same time,
as we said, we get
the chance to introduce
our culture.
And we are very happy
because of that.
One special reason that
HASDER has been well
received is the prayer
of peace that is central
to the group.
I wish all the world
would come to us
to dance together.
I wish there is peace
all over the world;
everyone would dance,
sing a song.
Dance and music offer
the most beautiful time
that people experience.
Our heartfelt appreciation,
members of HASDER
Folk Arts Foundation,
for sharing with us
the spirited folk dance
of Cyprus.
May your graceful dance
and vibrant music carry
the message of peace
and brotherly love
to all corners of
our precious globe,
with Heaven’s
abundant blessings.
Delightful viewers,
thank you for being
with us today on
Supreme Master Television’s
A Journey through
Aesthetic Realms.
Up next is
Vegetarianism:
The Noble Way of Living,
after Noteworthy News.
Wishing you everlasting
inner tranquility and joy.