The New Anatolian FEATURES 19 SATURDAY & SUNDAY APRIL 29-30, 2006 ROOF CLUB TURGAY KAHYA and his orchestra Fixed Menu: 40 YTL. Every Friday and Saturday For Reservations: 0.312 424 01 10 Hotel Midas Tunus Cad. No: 20 Kavakldere / Ankara Tel: 0.312 424 01 10 Fax: 0.312 424 05 20 www.hotelmidas.com / sales@hotelmidas.com J O U R N E Y T O M E M O R I E S Happy Hour %15 - 13:00-20:00 Malt Whisky - Ale Beer - Wine - Food Ataky Marina Ragetta ars No: 243 Bakrky - stanbul / 0212 560 78 68 www.thenorthbar.com RESERVATION: (212) 247 16 30 - 247 16 31 - 246 08 18 Address: Cumhuriyet Street No:30 Harbiye (Entrance of Hilton Hotel) TNA 19 SYAH MAV KIRMIZI SARI ELN ENER The New Anatolian / Ankara W orld-famous dance group the Gang Peng Company will per- form their show Bach No. 5, which com- bines classic and modern music forms, this weekend at Bilgi Universitys Dolapdere Campus in Istanbul after having performed an enchanting show in Ankara as part of the citys French Spring 2006 events. The show, which unites Bachs solo piece Cello Suite No. 5 with beautiful dance figures, consists of a choreo- graphed blend of hip-hop, modern dance and classical music. The group performed a spellbinding show in Ankara and fascinated the audience with its four dancers, cellist, percus- sionist and two singers. The group also performed their show Papier de Chair to Bachs Suite No. 5 with dancers and the paper they use in their show. The company, established in 1997, has chosen a unique path that has links to different cultures. Their shows most- ly consist of a meeting of cultures under an unconventional artistic policy. Their shows Papier de Chair, Talks and So Far, So Close are famous for com- bining extremely different cultures on the same stage. TNA sat down for an interview with the Gang Peng Companys choreograph- er, Gang Peng, who has managed to find a common point be- tween different cul- tures through his dance style, beyond limits. Everything based on Bachs notes Peng, who was born in Chinas Anhui province, began his dance education at the Anhui Dance Conser- vatory at the age of 11. Peng received a highly qualified classi- cal music education and transferred to the Peking Youth Ballet Compa- ny in 1993 as lead dancer. In time, Peng managed to at- tract the attention of the French Youth Ballet Company and was invited to France for an education in mod- ern dance. Peng established the Rochellede Et Cetera dance company in 1997 and contin- ues his dance career in France. Working in collaboration with artists from various branches of the arts is one of the most important focuses of his dance career. Peng long wanted to work on Bachs suites and set about the task between 1993 and 1995. The head of Frances major fes- tival City Dance asked Peng to prepare a show for them. Peng said that he worked on a choreography piece for Bachs Cello Suite No. 5 and added that to their show. What matters is to give meaning to the dance figures we perform in our dance show, he said. One of the most important things for me is to create a body language. Bachs Suite No. 5 is a choreography work. Everything in the show is based on Bachs notes. Hip-hop dancers put on a rapid performance in a restricted technical area. Original paper dance Before Bachs Cello Suite No. 5, Peng per- formed a short show that makes use of paper. The very interesting perfor- mance Papier de Chair, consists only of Peng and paper. Peng says that when you crumple a piece of paper you first hear the noise and later see the shape. The show consists of a 16-meter-long piece of paper, he said. Since the pa- pers fiber breaks when you crumple it, the shape remains stable. Paper is a material we use all the time, but we still put a major emphasis on it. The main goal is to animate mate- rials and to give them a life of their own. We give life to a piece of paper since we give it shape. Paper is an ob- ject that is alive because its a part of na- ture. I want to show how alive the ma- terials are. Im looking for the balance, harmony and relation between people and materials. Peng went on to say that he is very interested in materials, adding that he is thinking of performing a show with string in the future. When we think of string, we may remember puppets, he said. The show will again reveal the bond between the human body and ma- terials. We will perform the shifting roles of the human body and materials. Im working with hip-hop dancers for my string show. I see some original talents in hip-hop dancers that modern dancers lack. On the other hand, I think hip-hop is a modern dance type. The Gang Peng Company, which has come to Turkey for the first time, wonders how the Turkish audience will react to their performance. Were going to perform our show at Istan- buls Bilgi University Dolapdere Cam- pus today (Saturday), said Peng. Im very happy because the group will perform a show in a place that doesnt have a stage for the first time. Perform- ing our show in a different place and being so close to the audience makes us both happy and nervous. Gang Peng Company concert this Saturday, April 29 Bilgi University, Dolapdere Cam- pus - Istanbul Tel. (0212) 444 0428 www.gangpeng.net Join the Olympics, buy your theater tickets The New Anatolian / Istanbul T ickets for the 15th International Istanbul Theatre Festival and the Fourth International Theatre Olympics are now on sale. Organized by the Istanbul Founda- tion for Culture and the Arts (IKSV) and sponsored by Aygaz and Opet, the 15th International Istanbul Theatre Festival will be on from May 11 to June 6. This year, the festival will also feature another international meeting of performance arts, namely the Fourth International Theatre Olympics. Internationally renowned theatre and dance ensembles will stage over 60 performances includ- ing 10 foreign and 15 national plays in 12 different venues throughout Istanbul. Tickets are now on sale at Biletix of- fices, from their call centers (0216 556 9800), online (www.biletix.com) and at the Atatrk Culture Center (AKM). Both the theater festival and the the- ater Olympics will kick off on May 11 with Aeschylus tragedy The Persians directed by Theodoros Terzopulos. The play is a co-production of the IKSV, the Attis Theatre, the Theatre Olympics and the Epidaurus Festival. Famous guests participating in the festival include the plastic artist, actor, choreographer and writer Jan Fabre from Belgium and Yuri Lyubimov, who is recognized as the maestro of the theatre world. Piccolo Teatro di Milano, the most renowned ensemble of Italian theatre, Tadashi Suzuki from Japan, world-famous theater master Peter Brook, the Rosas Dance Ensemble from Belgium and the Cullberg Ballet from Sweden will also be performing. In the Young Theatre category, young professional theatre and dance ensembles which have not previously taken part in the festival will thrill audi- ences with their new projects and plays. Festival program and booklets are available at the AKM and IKSV offices (stiklal Cad. No. 146, Beyolu). For more information, visit iksv.org. A world of ideas Gang Peng Company: A world of ideas g Choreography: Gang Peng g Assistant: Marjolaine Zurfluh g Dancers and singers: Amelle Aoudia, Jean-Yves Castillo, Rachid Chabi, Gang Peng, Vincent Simon, Francois Gibault g Music: Bach g Cello: Eric Villeminey g Percussion: Philippe Cornus g Lighting: Thierry Houlette, Michel Tolu TNA correspondent Elin ener with choreographer Gang Peng. Photo: TNA - brahim Gk Time to plan for music days The New Anatolian / Istanbul T ickets for the 34th International Istanbul Music Festival are available as of 11:00 a.m. this Saturday. Organized by the Istanbul Foun- dation for Culture and the Arts (IKSV) and sponsored by Borusan Holding, the 34th International Istan- bul Music Festival will be held on June 8 - 24 this year. The festival will feature over 1,000 Turkish and inter- national artists who will perform in six different venues of Istanbul. The festival program includes a total of 27 events with seven orchestra, six chamber music, four recital, two opera and two vocal music concerts. Celebrating the famous composers 250th anniversary, the festivals theme is Mozart on the 250th An- niversary of His Birth. Unmissable concerts Among the select guests who will perform Mozarts works is the fa- mous baroque orchestra Les Arts Florissants, which will be on stage as part of the French Spring. Viola virtu- oso Tabea Zimmermann will be ac- companied by the Basel Chamber Or- chestra, which has attained much suc- cess in the last years. World-famous orchestra conductor Yoel Levi will conduct two prominent pianists, Maria Joao Pires and Huseyin Serme, accompanied by the Tekfen Philhar- monic Orchestra. La Petite Bande will perform under the baton of conductor Sigiswald Kuijken. Also the pianist and conductor Helene Grimaud will direct the Deutsche Kammerphilar- monie Bremen. One of the most special guests of the festival is world-renowned mezzo so- prano Cecilia Bartoli, who will perform on two different nights accompanied by the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra. Festival classic Mozarts Abduc- tion from the Seraglio, which has not been performed here since 1996, will be staged in the Topkap Palace under the direction of Yekta Kara Opening evening Tickets are on sale as of 11:00 a.m. this Saturday at Ataturk Culture Cen- ter (AKM), Biletix offices, by phone (0216 556 9800) and online at biletix.com. A limited number of tick- ets for the opening ceremony to be held on June 8 at the Hagia Eirene Museum are also available at AKM and Biletix. Program booklets are available at AKM and the IKSV office (stiklal Cad. No. 146, Beyolu) Peng performs paper dance called Papier de Chair.