ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The director of the world-class Kurdish folkloric dance group Anadolu Atesi (Fire of Anatolia) hopes to open an arts academy in the Kurdistan Region.
“I want to establish a school here. I know it will be very pleasing to people. Our people love dances, our people love their folklore, our people love their culture,” Mustafa Erdogan told Rudaw’s Hevidar Zana last week.
“Our children are also very bright, they're good for this… So I hope we will open an international academy here as well,” he added.
Fire of Anatolia incorporates dance elements unique to Kurdish styles and features Kurdish singers and music. Erdogan created the group after being inspired by Russian choreographer Moussief and wanted to create something to preserve and showcase the rich cultural heritage of the region.
“We created a group in Colemerg [Hakkari], in high school. At first, we performed regional dances, our dances, Kurdish folklore, the Colemerg dances where we dance to the left as you know,” Erdogan said.
"In the world, only we go left,” he said, explaining that this style is unique to the Hakkari region in southeast Turkey.
Erdogan said he started, he invited everyone to join the group, regardless of whether they were professionals or not.
“We combined ballet and modern dance perspectives. We changed some things according to our own interpretation,” he said. “We said, let's create such a synthesis, our culture is rich, Anatolia's, Mesopotamia's. So we mixed Anatolia and Mesopotamia, and something honorable emerged."
They now have hundreds of dancers and their performances can have as many as 150 people on stage, depending on the size of the venue. They have performed worldwide.
“From New Zealand to America, from Siberia to Bahrain, from Mexico to Egypt, we've been to 120 countries so far,” Erdogan said.
Fire of Anatolia has grown into an educational institution, operating 12 academies for dance, music, art, and theater. Each school employs about five instructors, and the network serves around 2,000 students. The professional training programs span two to six years, with talented students graduating early and joining the main performance group. A junior troupe, known as "Sparks of Fire," also trains within the academies.
Erdogan said he hopes to open a similar academy in the Kurdistan Region, specifically in Erbil. He believes the local community's strong appreciation for dance, folklore, and culture would make it a success.
The group is best known for two shows: Fire of Anatolia and Troy, based on the historical tale of the ancient city. They are also developing a new production that traces the historic trade route from China to Istanbul.
“We're now creating the Silk Road. The Silk Road starts from China and comes to Istanbul,” Erdogan said.
Founded in the early 2000s when Kurdish was still banned in Turkey, Fire of Anatolia has become one of the country’s most successful cultural exports.