“Everything in dance is poetry. Every movement describes a story, a feeling. The dancer takes the audience into a world of fairy tales.” ~Farima Berenji
Learn Azeri and Kafkaz dance styles in this 2hour dance workshop with master instructor, performer, and leading authority of Azeri dance: Dr. Gürbüz Aktaş.
Dr. Aktaş will teach Azerbaijani men’s and women’s dance including the fast footwork, and some Lezginka. Both men and women may participate in this workshop.
Dr. Aktaş is visiting from Turkey and will be here in the Bay Area only for a limited time. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from a master!
Dr. Gürbüz Aktaş was born into the Kafkas (Caucasian) culture in Kars, Turkey, where he performed the dance and music of the area since childhood. His eventual mentors included top teachers of Azerbaijani, Northern Caucasian, Georgian, Daghestani and Russian dances and he has performed with some of the top dancers of the state companies of these areas. During his study of dance at San Francisco State University, he was the founding director of the renowned Kafkaz Folk Song and Dance Ensemble in San Francisco, CA from 1986-1996.
He went on to become the Director of the Dance Department at Ege University’s State Turkish Music Conservatory in Izmir, a post from which he retired after 22 years, in the spring of 2018.
As a leading expert in the traditional dances of Azerbaijan he has conducted extensive field research in remote villages interviewing older dancers as well as interviewing founding members of the Azerbaijan State Ensemble. His work was officially sponsored by the Turkish government
Gürbüz Aktaş holds a BA, MA ,and is a Full Professor PhD in Ethnochoreology.