Turkish Dance Choreographer, Korhan Basaran to Showcase World Premiere of SEEKING BEAUTY, 11/6-11/8

From November 6-8, York Dance Works (YDW) and Korhan Basaran will showcase "Present Present Present," three evenings of dance programs at the Merce Cunningham Studio. The weekend-long dance display will feature Korhan Basaran, a Turkish dancer and choreographer whose newest work, "Seeking Beauty," will be making its world premiere. This piece is produced by Zumrut Atli and Ozgur Cebioglu, and costumes designed by Francis Estrada. This showcase is supported by the Moon and Stars Project's Community Grants Program, which provides assistance to projects of high standards in order to encourage artistic efforts and initiatives within the Turkish-American community.

In "Seeking Beauty," Korhan Basaran tries to distill what is truly beautiful.  But it is the journey toward this aesthetic ideal that captures his interest, not the actual attainment of this elusive goal.  His movement vocabulary ranges from neo-classical to contemporary, and contains an instinctive simplicity and emotional honesty that connects his work to a universal language of movement. This work is supported by the Moon and Stars Project's Community Grants Program which provides assistance to projects of high standards in order to encourage artistic efforts and initiatives within the Turkish-American community.

Korhan Basaran, a native of Turkey, has been performing, teaching and making dance for the last 10 years. He started his professional career in the Ankara State Opera Ballet where he performed with Modern Dance Turkey for two years. He performed leading roles in various projects during the seven years he lived in Istanbul. Basaran holds a BA in acting from Bilkent University and an MBA in art management from Yeditepe University.  He recently moved to New York and received a merit scholarship from the Cunningham Studio where he performed in the reconstruction of Merce Cunningham's "Tread" (1970). He also choreographed "Hisseli Harikalar Kumpanyasi," which premiered at the Beacon Theater in June 2009 and was the first Turkish Musical ever produced in New York.
 
Also making its debut will be York Dance Works' piece "Present… distant…" choreographed by artistic director Lucy York Struever and with original music by Nat Osborn. The evenings will also include two world premiere duets by York Dance Works company members MaryBeth Hanley and Matt Adams, the duet "Elegy" by Korhan Basaran, and a revised "Sweet Here and There" by Struever.
 
The Merce Cunningham Studio is located at 55 Bethune Street on the 11th floor in the West Village of Manhattan. Performances are Friday November 6 at 9:00 pm, Saturday November 7 at 8:00 pm, and Sunday November 8 at 7:00 pm. Tickets are $20 for regular admission and $15 for students and dancers. Ticketing information can be found at www.yorkdanceworks.com.

For more information on Turkey, call 1-877-FOR-TURKEY or contact the Turkish Culture and Tourism Offices in New York at 212-687-2194 or in Washington, D.C., at 202-612-6800, and visit their Web sites at www.tourismturkey.org or www.kulturturizm.gov.tr.

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