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Hello to all Turkish Folk Music and Dance fans all over the world! Traditional and innovative, the Anatolian Folk Dancers ensemble specialize in the performance of Turkish Folk Dance and music. The group was formed in 1982 with the purpose of introducing authentic Turkish Folk performance arts to a broad audience. Anatolian Folk Dancers base their repertoire on traditional sources yet also incorporate modern and innovative techniques in their  presentations. Many Turkish Folk song styles such as "Turku" along with a myriad of instrumental melodies are learned mainly through oral tradition, a venerable art in itself. Each region has its own distinct musical repertoire with themes familiar to all such as love, hope, exile, daily work and life cycle celebrations.

Contemporary Turkish folk dances are the result of a 1000 year old evolution combining ancient Central Asian forms with elements of later Anatolian civilizations, Islamic traditions and the heritage of the Ottoman civilization. The resulting amalgam of music and dance produces an extraordinarily rich synthesis. The dance ensemble of the Anatolian Folk Dancers has a repertoire that is varied and exotic with a dynamic force ranging from delicate hand gestures to thunderous flying feet. Its staging is colourful with an array of beautifully detailed regional costumes.

Anatolian Folk Dancers (AFD) was originally founded in 1982 in Toronto, Ontario. Their sister organization 'Turkish Folk Music Ensemble - EZGI' was formed in 1985 to further develop and present Turkish musical traditions.
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Following are the founders of Anatolian Folk Dancers:

Dogan Comez Belma Gurdil Bora Inceoglu Sule Ogut

Gulru Saka Kadir Yilmaz Sefa Koseoglu

And our first executive board (after the registration):

Dogan Comez Hasan Dincer Belma Gurdil

Bora Hincer Bora Inceoglu Sule Ogut

Gulru Saka Kadir Yilmaz

The group originally practised in the International Student's Centre at 33 St. George Street located in the heart of the University of Toronto. The basement of the building with it's dark humid rooms hold many memories for those of the original group who met there on a regular basis to perfect their art. I would like to acknowledge and thank the UofT along with Turkish Student Association President and Vice-President Sefa and Refa Koseoglu for their vital support throughout our first years by providing rooms for members to work. Over the span of the past 20 years, AFD and EZGI have performed several hundred times in Toronto and other locations in Ontario, the province of Quebec as well as Michigan and New York states in the US. You can find more details of these performances in the resume section of our site.