Artists | letmebe

Berrak Yedek was born in Istanbul in 1974. She started to dance and study music at the age of 5 in Germany, after which she lived in Saudi- Arabia, Turkey, England and shortly in Russia, where she was able to extend her dance experience. In Turkey she completed her university studies in literature and translation and she founded a private dance company. With Kumpanya Bale Türk she produced and created 11 pieces, which were presented in various cities in Turkey.

Since then she has been working as an artist on the close relationship of movement and music in traditional (Turkish) as well as contemporary forms.

During 1999-2005 she lived in Paris and worked with various companies in France as a dancer, actress and choreographer, and she worked as a free-lance teacher, additionally she produced her own performances.

In 2005 she moved to Prague. She worked as a dance teacher and creative work consultant at the Duncan Centre Conservatory (2005-2010).

She is also a co-founder of the Performing Arts Track of the Management of Performing Arts Department of Bilgi University in Istanbul in 2007, and has been working there as a guest lecturer ever since, giving workshops and leading 2 courses (creative process and composition). In 2009 she created her company Limpid Works and has produced her own performance projects. In 2017 she opened the centre of Limpid Works, which has a program for self-development through the practices of physical and theoretical art forms. She dedicates herself to the centre and her artistic
projects and her family.

more info: www.limpidworks.com
http://berrakyedek.com/

Beliz Demircioglu

Dancer and choreographer Beliz Demircioglu received her PHD in Expressive Arts Therapy from European Graduate School’s Arts, Health and Society Division, her
MPS from Interactive Telecommunications Program and her BFA from the Dance Department of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

Her performance and video/installation works have been showcased at Baryshnikov Art Center, United Nations New York Headquarters, Istanbul Modern Museum, Centres Des Arts Enghien Les Bains, Istanbul Biennial, Garajistanbul, Codice-Idee per la Cultura, Eyebeam Gallery, Jack H. Skirball Center, Bushwick Arts Project, Vancouver NIME, Ask the Robot, Tedance Festival, Bjcem Biennial, Kasa Galeri and garajistanbul among other venues.

Beliz currently teaches movement technique and bodies/technologies classes at the Performaning Arts Track of Istanbul Bilgi University.
more info: www.belizd.com

Lighting designer and author of independent alternative projects mostly in the realm of nonverbal theatre, movement theatre and dance. After graduating in graphic design in publicity at Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague, he tried different jobs to emigrate to France in 1983. There he founded Mimo theatre and worked as a clown and puppeteer. After two years he left for Canada: he worked as a light designer in Toronto and Montreal and founded Sound Image Theatre, authorial movement theatre working with live music. He was awarded the prestigious Dora Mavor Moore prize a number of times: for the best piece, the best music, design, and directory.

In 2001, he returned to Prague. He works as a light designer, regularly co-working with dance company NANOHACH and Theatre Na Peroně in Košice (SK). He has also been creating his own movement and dance projects, among them: Dance of the Paper Dancers, Crime and Punishment, Probouzení Genia loci, Útroby krávy or Kampa sonata (created for Prague quadrennial 2011). In 2009, he was awarded Theatre personality of the year award within Next Wave festival and, one year later, he received the Best Light Design prize within TANEC PRAHA festival. Komárek prefers to set his pieces in non-theatre spaces; he approaches motion, sound and light as inseparable elements that should be created simultaneously.

"Komárek is a sensitive purist and an aesthete. He is in love with antiques, beauty and delicate craftiness. And with women. The soul of his pieces is the female dancers and their charm. A little bit of light in here, a little bit of darkness in there - and there goes beauty."
(Jana Návratová, Taneční zóna, October 2008)

Ezgi Akpınarlı

Ezgi Akpinarli is a Fashion Designer who obtained her BA degree in Fashion Design as an honors student along with a minor in Management of Performing Arts from Istanbul Bilgi University in 2015. As a designer and stylist, she has worked with fashion brands and visual projects. She participated as an assistant for the designers of Salon Amsterdam in 1. Istanbul Design Biennial, and as a co-curator and designer of “What Handkerchief?” exhibition in Pécs, Hungary. Curretly, she is pursuing her Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Design at Kadir Has University.
Cultural values, body movements and sustainability in design are the main subjects that inspire Ezgi’s work; thus, recently she has founded “Mendil Design”, which is a brand project that focuses on cultural elements and sustainable materials on designs.

Basak Sıla Bengisu

Başak Sıla Bengisu was born in the U.S in 1990. She went to primary school in Bursa and Northern Cyprus; high school in İstanbul. Studied Physical Engineering for a few years then decided that she needed other means than ration, reason and calculation in life to make peace with herself, with life. Decided to study to be a singer. Found herself studying Comparative Literature, double majoring with Performing Arts in Istanbul Bilgi University while, at the same time, going to Istanbul University Conservatory for Opera Training.

She's been a part of an experimental, psychedelic, punk, cabaret band: Zoomk-RU-TU. It has provided her with the opportunity to practice her improvisation skills in movement and singing during the performances.

She's been a volunteer to teach people with down syndrome, the benefits and healing effects of touching for over a year. She's recently also volunteered to teach contemporary dance to girls with traumatic background and drug abuse problems. She plans to travel around the world starting this year.