Modernization Through Dancing Bodies in Turkey: the First 30 Years of Turkish State Ballet Institutions

The present study aims to explore the first thirty years of State Ballet Institutions of Turkey. It was based primarily upon the oral interviews of Turkish ballet?s subjects and the critics? reviews mostly published in journals and newspapers of the time. The foundation of the professional ballet company is explored through the readings and first-hand witness memories belonging to the most significant actors of early Turkish ballet. The British teachers and choreographers as the initiators of ballet, Turkish bureaucrats as the representatives of the state and the first Turkish dancers as the pioneers of this art form have been presented. The research is also concerned with the issues of institutionalization of Turkish ballet focusing on the debate on constructing ?the national?. Different approaches were analyzed in relation to the presentations of the national. Individual stories are included by the first generations of the Turkish ballet artists. Their stories include gender perspectives, passion, frustration, and searching. These memories are expressed as they are.