The ATA Turkish Folk Dance Troupe (to be confirmed) has been performing under the direction and leadership of Mr. Oguzhan Alay for the past five years. In that time, the group has grown from a small group of about six performers to one of roughly twenty performers. The folkdance team is made up of students, professors, engineers, medical and business professionals and more, and they take the time out of their busy schedules to put together these performances. The repertoire includes a sampling of traditional Turkish folkdances from various regions of Turkey such as the Thrace, Adiyaman and Black Sea regions. The Folk Dance Group has performed at a variety of events such as festivals, schools, and weddings. For more info visit: www.atahouston.org
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ATA-DC Ataturk School Folkdance Group consists of children who are students at the ATA-DC’s Ataurk School. Their ages range from eight to twelve. Form more information please visit: www.atadc.org
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Bluestar Dance Troupe was founded almost a year by the leadership of Zeki Maviyildiz who has been sharing his vast experience and talents with
his friends. Despite being a relatively new dance group, Bluestar Dance
Troupe introduced Turkish Folk Dances to many audiences. They present a
variety of Turkish folk dance pieces from traditional dances to modern choreographies keeping the spirit of the dance. Bluestar Dance Troupe currently resides in Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information and contact address, please visit www.bluestardance.com
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Kardelen Turkish Dance Ensemble is a group of dancers dedicated to promoting the culture of Turkey through dances the dances from the region. Kardelen Dance Ensemble takes its name from a resilient Anatolian mountain flower that survives under hardship and severe weather circumstances. The group members are committed to helping underprivileged children in developing countries who survive under difficult circumstances just like the Kardelen flower and therefore donate a portion of revenues to organizations that are engaged in education and health of children. For more information visit: www.kardelendance.com
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Ilhan Sami Özulu is currently celebrating his 39th year anniversary in music. He was born and raised in ?stanbul, Turkey and started his music education in 1966 at ?stanbul Municipal Conservatory of Music when he was at middle school. After his graduation from Kültür Koleji, in 1972, he enrolled at the University of ?stanbul’s School of Economics. At the same time, he started to play guitar at various hotels, nightclubs and casinos in ?stanbul and participated in several tours in Europe and all around Turkey. Even though he changed his daytime career, Dr. Özulu still plays all kinds of Turkish and international music in the Washington D.C.
Metropolitan Area. He established and directed Turkish Music Choir in 2001, and supported Turkish Folklore Troupe of Washington, DC. For more information visit: www.ilhanozulu.com
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Silk Road Dance Company
Founded in 1995, the Silk Road Dance Company (SRDC) has delighted audiences around the country with traditional and contemporary dances from the Middle East, Central Asia and the Caucasus. Their performances of Uzbek, Afghani, Tajik, Azerbaijani, Kurdish, Iranian, and Egyptian dance techniques offer a unique glimpse of the life, culture, and art of little known regions. In 2003, presented "Egypta: Myth, Magic, and Mystery" as part of the Kennedy Center's Prelude Festival and Local Dance Commissioning Project. SRDC also won the 2003 Best Company Award from the International Academy of Middle Eastern Dance. For more information visit: www.silkroaddance.com
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Turkish Folk Music Group consists of all volunteer musicians and singers. One of the members of the group, Zeki Findikoglu, was also founder of the first Turkish Folk Music Group in Washington, DC, which was called as Koylu Saz Group. The other members of this group were two former Peace Corps volunteers Alex Vogel and George Park, and Gokalp Babaoglu. Today’s group has been organized and performed about a year. Main purposes of the group are to keep Turkish Folk Music alive, to practice and to educate. The group is a non-profit organization and also opens to everyone who wants to learn and practice Turkish Folk Music without any restrictions. Present contact person is Nurten Karasen nkarasen@yahoo.com
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TURKU plays music from the western half of the Silk Road. They have played for audiences as large as 8000 people and as far away as Samarkand, Uzbekistan since 1998. Their music has received radio play as far away as Portugal and Uzbekistan. South Carolina Public Television has shown Turku's performances on many occasions. The members of Turku live in the Carolinas of the USA.
Turku is a five member ensemble including... Ted Monnich on saz, Farzad on violin, Daveed Korup on hand drums, Denys Proteau on kaval and cumbus, and Carla Monnich on davul and zils. Turku has released several recordings, including three highly acclaimed CD's, 1 tape, 1 single, and 2 lavish videos. You can learn more about their recordings, and hear sound samples by clicking here. All of the songs on Turku's CD's and in their performances are traditional or in a traditional style, with many improvisational passages. Also, the solo dances in Turku's concerts are all improvisations.
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Ever since its creation in 1998 by several devoted Turkish/Turkish-American individuals, Washington, DC Turkish Folk Dance Troupe (to be confirmed) has been a part of numerous social, educational, cultural, and recreational events. With over 60 performances in its record, the troupe continues to grow both in terms of size and repertoire. Anyone, regardless of his/her past experience with dancing, is welcomed in the group. The troupe, as a whole, serves for the purpose of promoting and broadening the awareness of Turkish culture in the U.S. through performances of various Turkish folk dances; whereas, for the individual’s standpoint, it is a friendly and social environment where learning and teaching of Turkish folk dances are made possible through voluntary work. The troupe meets every Sunday afternoon to practice the dances. For more information, please visit www.turkfolkdc.org
The ATA Turkish Folk Dance Troupe (to be confirmed) has been performing under the direction and leadership of Mr. Oguzhan Alay for the past five years. In that time, the group has grown from a small group of about six performers to one of roughly twenty performers. The folkdance team is made up of students, professors, engineers, medical and business professionals and more, and they take the time out of their busy schedules to put together these performances. The repertoire includes a sampling of traditional Turkish folkdances from various regions of Turkey such as the Thrace, Adiyaman and Black Sea regions. The Folk Dance Group has performed at a variety of events such as festivals, schools, and weddings. For more info visit: 
Kardelen Turkish Dance Ensemble is a group of dancers dedicated to promoting the culture of Turkey through dances the dances from the region. Kardelen Dance Ensemble takes its name from a resilient Anatolian mountain flower that survives under hardship and severe weather circumstances. The group members are committed to helping underprivileged children in developing countries who survive under difficult circumstances just like the Kardelen flower and therefore donate a portion of revenues to organizations that are engaged in education and health of children. For more information visit: 
Ilhan Sami Özulu is currently celebrating his 39th year anniversary in music. He was born and raised in ?stanbul, Turkey and started his music education in 1966 at ?stanbul Municipal Conservatory of Music when he was at middle school. After his graduation from Kültür Koleji, in 1972, he enrolled at the University of ?stanbul’s School of Economics. At the same time, he started to play guitar at various hotels, nightclubs and casinos in ?stanbul and participated in several tours in Europe and all around Turkey. Even though he changed his daytime career, Dr. Özulu still plays all kinds of Turkish and international music in the Washington D.C.
Metropolitan Area. He established and directed Turkish Music Choir in 2001, and supported Turkish Folklore Troupe of Washington, DC. For more information visit: 
Silk Road Dance Company 
Turkish Folk Music Group consists of all volunteer musicians and singers. One of the members of the group, Zeki Findikoglu, was also founder of the first Turkish Folk Music Group in Washington, DC, which was called as Koylu Saz Group. The other members of this group were two former Peace Corps volunteers Alex Vogel and George Park, and Gokalp Babaoglu. Today’s group has been organized and performed about a year. Main purposes of the group are to keep Turkish Folk Music alive, to practice and to educate. The group is a non-profit organization and also opens to everyone who wants to learn and practice Turkish Folk Music without any restrictions. Present contact person is Nurten Karasen 
TURKU plays music from the western half of the Silk Road. They have played for audiences as large as 8000 people and as far away as 
Ever since its creation in 1998 by several devoted Turkish/Turkish-American individuals, Washington, DC Turkish Folk Dance Troupe (to be confirmed) has been a part of numerous social, educational, cultural, and recreational events. With over 60 performances in its record, the troupe continues to grow both in terms of size and repertoire. Anyone, regardless of his/her past experience with dancing, is welcomed in the group. The troupe, as a whole, serves for the purpose of promoting and broadening the awareness of Turkish culture in the U.S. through performances of various Turkish folk dances; whereas, for the individual’s standpoint, it is a friendly and social environment where learning and teaching of Turkish folk dances are made possible through voluntary work. The troupe meets every Sunday afternoon to practice the dances. For more information, please visit