KIZ DOĞDU / III

A Girl is Born / III

“When silence falls upon a room, they sometimes say: ‘A girl is born…”

Kız Doğdu / III is dedicated to all women whose births have been associated with sorrow. In this performance, six female dancers push their physical boundaries to the extreme, inviting the audience to witness a form of strength, resistance, endurance, and solidarity in the female body—one that is not commonly seen or acknowledged.

Originally created in 2014 as a duet for the Istanbul State Opera and Ballet’s MDTIstanbul Project, Kız Doğdu was reinterpreted in 2015 under the Çıplak Ayaklar Company with a different staging approach. In 2025, it was expanded into a group piece for six dancers for the Department of Contemporary Dance at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Istanbul State Conservatory. Today, the work is presented under the title Kız Doğdu / III.

CHOREOGRAPHY AND CONCEPT: Aslı Öztürk

DANCERS: Ayyüce Uzunlular, Beste Demir, Ece Gül, Eylül Doğan, İlayda Kolaylı, Nil Saraçoğlu

MUSIC: Ah! Kosmos

LIGHT DESIGN: Kemal Yiğitcan / Utku Kara

"Entrusted Ground" is a performance and contemporary art installation that were conceived together. It is both a three-dimensional landscape painting and a stage for sound and movement. The work revolves around the elements of air, water, fire, and earth, each embodied by a dancer. As they move and engage with each other, the dancers activate and interact with the installed artworks that set a timeless, cave-like space of nature-culture. Activating all senses, it proposes a mental and physical perambulation. "Entrusted Ground" is a home for homeless stones, a shift for dancers and twigs, as well as a prayer for fractures.

Entrusted Ground /

Artworks: Gözde İlkin

Curator: Duygu Demir

Choreography: Aslı Öztürk

Sound Design: Berke Can Özcan

Performance: Alara Erdem, Barış Diker, Nazlı Durak, Umut Özdaloğlu

Performance was produced and staged as part of Gözde İlkin's solo exhibition Entrusted Ground in .artSümer Gallery, Istanbul between September 14 and November 12, 2022.

Entrusted Ground / In Real Time

NYUAD Art Gallery, NYU Abu Dhabi 2024

Artworks: Gözde İlkin

Curator: Duygu Demir / Maya Allison

Choreography: Aslı Öztürk

Sound Design: Berke Can Özcan

Performance: Alara Erdem, Barış Diker,Umut Özdaloğlu

Koan: a whisper in the winds of Zen, where logic falters and intuition reigns supreme, weaving tales, dialogues, and enigmatic questions.

The first part of the work titled 'Koan', which consists of three sections, focuses on the activation of subtle energies present in the body but invisible to the naked eye. The second part delves into the nature of the Earth-Water-Fire and Air elements present in every particle of existence, while the final part centers on revealing the deep nature and true potential inherent in the life-death cycle of humanity.

The entirety of the work, formed by the merging of these three sections, is a story that can only be understood through intuition.

KOAN

Choreography and Concept: Aslı Öztürk

Music: Buddisth- Tibetan Monks – 25 Buddisth , The Spell Burial Mix, Dead or Alive Trentemoller

Light Designers : Mihran Tomasyan, Aslı Öztürk

Costume: In the Mood for Love

Creative Dancers: Alara Erdem, Barış Diker, Beste Demir, Bilge Atasayar, Çağla Keser, Eylül Boyacıoğlu, Furkan Yılmaz, Melis Yılmaz, Öykü Tutcu, Sim Sakaoğlu

* Created for Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University Istanbul State Conservatory Contemporary Dance Department - Repertoire 3rd year BA Students 2021

DAİRE’YE DAİR- 1,

“Regarding the Circle-1” is a short piece produced for the mixed evening titled “Into One Body” of the Istanbul State Opera and Ballet/MDT Istanbul Project. Inspired by various poems of the renowned Sufi poet Yunus Emre, the performance comprises short works by different artists. The piece “Regarding the Circle - 1” draws inspiration from the first lines of the poem “Be prepared in your time”. The artistic direction of the performance “Into One Body,” where thirteen choreographers from the Istanbul State Opera and Ballet and the independent sector stage short choreographies inspired by Yunus Emre’s poems, is led by Beyhan Murphy.

DAİRE’YE DAİR-1

Regarding the Circle - 1

For fear of knowing one’s essence, humans also fear death.

Yet, freedom lies in completing the circle.

Be Prepared in your time

‘Be prepared in the flow of time,

Death is there, it comes one day.

Your soul is entrusted to the bird,

There is an owner, he takes it one day.’

Yunus Emre

Choreography and Concept: Aslı Öztürk

Creative Dancers: Beril Şenöz, Berkcan Ceylan, Emre Olcay, Nil Batırbaygil, Seçil Yenigün

Music: Özgür Baba - ‘Can Dediğin Bir Kuştur’

Sound Design: Berkant Kılıçkap

Costume Design: Giray Sepin

Rehearsal Director: Alper Marangoz

*Created for State Opera and Ballet Istanbul, MDTIstanbul Project 2022

So’ Hum is a mantra in Sanskrit which has been used since old times, means “I Am That”. In the mantra “That” represents ultimate reality, all creation, universe or the God in the essence of existence. All of us in essence, are parts of the endless source of “That”, we are connected with each other and the universe, we are “One”.

This choreography that is inspired and developed upon the metaphors of existence, represents a search of “Essence” and follows up the fields of meeting moments with the endless source, “That”. 

Choreography/ Concept : Aslı Öztürk 

Music: Andata / Ryuichi Sakamato - async, Dharma / Alio Die & Zeit, 

Sunlight / Heaven Julianna Barwick - Florine - EP, NEMIZ / Pamela Z - Pamela Z: A delay is better, Osho Deuter Dynamic Meditation  1st Stage, Says / Nils Frahm - Spaces

Music Editing  : Uğurcan Sezen

Lighting Design: Kerem Çetinel  

Lighting Design Execution: Utku Kara

Costume: Ahmet Keskin

Sound Execution: Elif Gürlük

Technical Support: Ufuk Fakıoğlu

Text:  Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi - Words of the Elements (poem)

Photography: Murat Dürüm

Duration: 30 dk.

Creative Dancers : 

Lilith: Aslı Melissa Uzun

Adam: Ufuk Fakıoğlu 

Eve: Ezgi Yaren Karademir

Water Group:  Aslı Melissa Uzun, Ezgi Yaren Karademir

Air Group: Gizem Seçkin, Diren Ezgi Yıldızkan

Earth Group: Gülce Su Gümüş, Lale Madenoğlu, Ekin Ançel

Fire Group: Berk Can Ceylan, Ufuk Fakıoğlu, Erdi Bolat, Naz Salmanoğlu

* Created for Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University Istanbul State Conservatory Contemporary Dance Department - Repertoire 2rd year BA Students 2018

Special Thanks to Melih Kıraç, Jingle House Media Music Production, Uğurcan Sezen, Kerem Çetinel and Murat Dürüm.

The piece called ‘Kız Doğdu’ / ‘a girl is born’

was dedicated to all of the women in any country of the world, whose birth is identified with the grief in the moments of silence.

The performance that two female dancers perform by pushing their physical limits until the end points invites the audience to witness the power, resistance, endurance and unity of the female body which we are not always accustomed to see in this form.

A Girl is Born

‘Sometimes during a moment of silence, they say perhaps a girl was born.’

Choreography/ Concept : Aslı Öztürk

Creative Dancers : Büşra Firidin, Suzan Alev

Music: Ah! Kosmos

Light Designer: Kemal Yiğitcan

Technic Crew:

S. Utku İnan, Mihran Tomasyan,

Photos: S. Utku İnan, Harun Ozkara, Murat Dürüm

*Created for Istanbul State Opera Ballet- MDTIstanbul Project in 2013 then reproduced and staged by Çıplak Ayaklar Kumpanyası in 2014.

The essence of the work titled “Control” involves using flying effects systems in a contemporary dance solo. This experimental study can be described as the exploration of movement of a body suspended in the air, defying gravity and moving within the confines of the system in various directions. “Control” premiered in 2009 at Garaj Istanbul in Istanbul, followed by performances at Talimhane Theater. Subsequent performances took place at Çimenlik Castle during the 2010 Çanakkale Festival, Enka Open Air Theater in Istanbul in 2011, and Kulturhuset Bollnas and Gavle Theater in Sweden in 2012. Additionally, it was regularly staged at Çıplak Ayaklar Studio between 2010 and 2013.

While asleep and awake,

Near and far away,

And when frozen solid,

Below and above,

While looking,

Happening,

Desiring it very much to happen,

Wanting to touch,

While rejecting,

And thinking you’re happy,

Thinking you’re unhappy,

Rising and falling,

You’re in control,

Hanging by a thread,

A cotton thread…

Can thoughts escape the control of the brain?

Can electrons escape the control of the nucleus?

Can an object escape the control of gravity?

Can its shadow escape the control of the person?

If everything in the universe is interconnected,

Could “control” be a name for God?

Choreography/Concept and Performer: Aslı Öztürk

Flying Effects System Design and performer: Cihan Kuşçu

Music: Ömer Öztüyen

Lighting Design: Cem Yılmazer

Video: Cem Gengönül

Text: Ufuk Uslu

Sound Design: Hakan Şen

Technical Application: Gökçe B. Mökükcü - Mihran Tomasyan

Photo-Flyer: Ezgi Kaplan

Duration: 40 min

*Produced and staged by Çıplak Ayaklar Kumpanyası and Vertigo Flying Effects Systems 2009

Kontrol / Trailer-1

Kontrol / Trailer-2

Technology Summit 2019 Opening Performance

BİŞEYLER New Media Works

Directors: B.Ece & Gökhan Okuyucu

Story: B.Ece Okuyucu

Stage Design: Gökhan Okuyucu

Visual Team

Visual Creative Director: Tiber Ergür

Look Development & CG Artist: Muhammet Altun

UI & Title Design: Efe Karaşahin

2D Animation: Barkın Mıyık

Performance Team

Choreographer: Aslı Öztürk

Performer: Ezgi Yaren Karademir

Cast Agency: Mayadroom Ajans

Project Management Team

Project Director: Alican Yılmaz

Stage Manager: Bengi Başak Şahan

Music and Sound Design: Jacob Thomas Czech (Prozac Studio)

Voice Over Agency: Gül Istıranca Seslendirme

Voice Over: Melda Gür

Documentation: Cansu Turan

Photography: Ömer Sedat Yenidoğan

Event Agency: Figür Turizm

Client: Turkcell

Project Date: 11.04.2019

IBM Think Summit Istanbul 2019 | Opening Performance

Performance, Direction, Animation, Design: BİŞEYLER New Media Works

Creative Directors: B.Ece & Gökhan Okuyucu

Art Direction, Design & Animation: Tiber Ergür

Design & Animation: Berk Polat

UI Design: Efe Karaşahin

UI Animation: Barkın Mıyık

Project Director: Alican Yılmaz

Choreographer: Aslı Öztürk

Performer: İlayda İpekçi

Music and Sound Design: Cihangir Aslan

Documentation: Emre Boz

Photography: Ömer Sedat Yenidoğan

Event Agency: BST

Client: IBM

Project Date: 04.12.2019

NUNC; Latin for “now”

NUNC; Latin for “now”

NUNC was prepared as a performance providing 360 degrees of viewing experience. It is an interactive dance performance and was performed in various events and halls around Turkey during 2016 and 2017.

DIRECTION & ANIMATION: BİŞEYLER New Media Works

Directors: B. Ece Okuyucu & Gökhan Okuyucu

Art Director: Ethem Cem

Designer: Enes Özenbaş, Hasan Salih Akan, Sait Sevgi

Trio Dance Performance Visual Artist: Mete Yafet

Choreographer: Aslı Öztürk

Performer: Aslı Öztürk, Melih Kıraç, Alper Marangoz

Project Manager: Bengi Başak Şahan

Project Assistant: Buse Kök

Music and Sound Design: Audiofil

Documentation: RAVV Studio, Ethem Cem, Emre Boz

Organization Company: COOP Event

Technical Company: MagicBox Production & Communication Systems