Donmuş Rüya - Frozen Dream (2014)
A site-specific dance theatre project staged in the former Silahtaraga Power Plant, now known as the Santralistanbul Arts Center & Energy Museum.
Created in collaboration with Turkish choreographer Ayrin Ersöz, Donmuş Rüya – Frozen Dream premiered as a parallel project of the Istanbul International Theatre Festival in June 2-9, 2014.
The Silahtaraga Power Plant, also known as “The Sultan’s Powerhouse,” was built in 1914 as the first of its kind in the Ottoman Empire and provided electricity until 1983. As part of the 100th anniversary of the plant, Ersöz and Ritter were invited to work with an interdisciplinary team of Turkish and American artists to devise a 60-minute multi-sensory experience for groups of 45 audience members.
Drawing inspiration from the expansive and aged mechanical spaces of the factory, multiple choreographic environments were designed to occur simultaneously throughout the museum.
As the audience traveled past the ancient turbines, dancers emerged from the core of machines to draw spectators into interactive engagements in spaces usually off-limits to the public, where they revealed compelling secrets through choreography.
Performer: Canan Yücel Pekiçten
Photograph: Ahmet Kemal Akinci
Performer: Seçil Demircan
Photograph: Ahmet Kemal Akinci
Performer: Nicolette Alberti
Photograph: Ahmet Kemal Akinci
Performer: Stacy Collado
Photograph: Ahmet Kemal Akinci
Performer: Yildiz Güventürk
Photograph: Ahmet Kemal Akinci
Performer: Canan Yücel Pekiçten
Photograph: Ahmet Kemal Akinci
Credits
CHOREOGRAPHY: Ayrin Ersöz and Julia M. Ritter
PERFORMERS: Nicolette Alberti, Ezgi Bilgin, Shawn Brush, Stacy Collado, Sonja Chung, Seçil Demircan, Ayrin Ersöz, Erdem Gündüz, Yildiz Güventürk, Sean Murphy, Orçun Okurgan, Hilal Sibel Pekel, Canan Yücel Pekiçten, Julia M. Ritter, Will Tomaskovic
MUSICIANS: Ceren Akçalı, Korhan Erel, and Aslıhan Eruzun Özel
SOUND DESIGN: Korhan Erel
LIGHTING DESIGN: Sıla Karakaya
VIDEO: Metin Çavuş
STAGE MANAGEMENT: R. Ömer Yavuz
Produced with the support of Santraistanbul Art Center, the Arts and Cultural Management Program of Istanbul Bilgi University, the Music & Performing Arts Program of Yildiz Technical University, and the GAIA Center of Rutgers University (USA).