Turkish dance enthrals visitors at Muscat Festival

Oman Saturday 13/February/2016 21:56 PM
By: Times News Service
Turkish dance enthrals visitors at Muscat Festival

Muscat: Visitors at the Muscat Festival in Naseem Garden were amazed by the colourful performance of a dancing group from Turkey.
Omar Al Sawafi, from Oman, said he very much enjoyed the dance.
“It was amazing. For me it was the first time seeing a Turkish dance”, he said.
His friend Said Al Saidi agreed. “I found it very interesting. I think it is one of the best attractions of the Muscat Festival, as you get to know other cultures,” he said.
Murat Erdem, from the Turkish capital of Ankara and choreographer of the dance told the Times of Oman that the group had enjoyed performing in Oman.
“We really like the Muscat Festival. It’s so big and diverse. And, thanks to the Muscat Municipality, we got all the facilities that made it easy for us to come and stay here. It’s cool,” he said.
Erdem explained that the dances they performed at Naseem Garden are very old and represent the diverse culture of Turkey.
He further said the dances include the Zeybek dance from Afyon, a city in the middle of Turkey, and is hundreds of years old; a Sufi Derwish dance; Artvin, named after a city on the Black sea coast and is a Georgian-inspired dance; and Trabzon, named after the city on the Black sea coast. The Trabzon dance comes from the ancient Greek region of Pontos and is about farming and fishing.
Hamza Humaid Al Maerki, from Oman, hailed the dancing group. “It was very nice to see and a great opportunity to be introduced to this rich culture,” he stated.