The Muhsin Ertuğrul Theater Hall is a ten-minute walk from my place. So, a venture there is normally no big deal, but a nice stroll through a posh neighborhood, a leisurely park full of fluffy kitties, and then a characteristic road of historical cannons, followed by a view of the Golden Horn. Yet, that day, that ten-minute walk and the perils awaiting me on the way were the one thing in my mind. You see, it was the anniversary of the Gezi Park protests. And the Hall happens to be at a location where the unmentionables happen to be the most generous in their public service of tear gas and pressurized-cold-water delivery to the public. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention about the risk of flying plastic bullets…
The play was a part of the IKSV Theater Festival: 33 different plays, staged 60-plus times, across a dozen theatre halls. It even gave the chance to experience the timeless masterpiece of Shakespeare, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in two totally different expressions of art, by two different theater companies.
The week before, the Propeller Theatre Company had brought Shakespeare and his time right before us in Istanbul. It was a theater company straight from the homeland of Shakespeare, reciting verses in the very same language, in the exact same words of Shakespeare, and even casting male players in the role of females, as had been in this times. What an experience it was. I was beaming as I left the theater.
That day, on May 31st, the Baltic Dance Theater had promised a totally different, and unique, expression. And, I wanted to see this one as well. The play was scheduled at 6 p.m. and when all still looked calm at around 5 p.m., I decided to give it a try. I am glad that I did. The universe was on my side that day, and my early summer quest for A Midsummer Night’s Dream did not transform into a nightmare, but turned out dreamily well.
The Baltic Dance Theater did something very unique: A work of art built on words – on verses, rhymes, meters, and puns – was transformed into wordless expression. Their art of expression was dance, music, and rhythm. Their tools were not the pen, but bodily movement and the universal language of music. The emotions, states of mind, and psyche of Hermia, Lysander, Demetrius, Helena were narrated through expressive choreography, body language, mimics, and aura. Music was the catalyst.
The play attested to the globally unifying powers of art: The original creator was from England. The performers were from the Baltic region. The music was that of Goran Bregovic, of the Balkans. The welcoming audience was in Istanbul, and spoke many languages. And it had all been unified in art. It also made me appreciate the many ways in which a masterpiece of art is able to transcend its borders, and become a source of inspiration for artists of all genres. The play was originally written in verse. But, the prodigy of Shakespeare left too intense an impression to remain confined within that genre alone. It triggered in the artist a desire to express it in their own expression of art. And, here was the Baltic Dance Theater interpreting it through dance and rhythm.
The night ended in standing ovation. I cautiously stepped out into the road. The way was clear. The night did not end in blood, sweat, and tears, but in a way befitting of a midsummer night’s dream.
Melis Kanık is a contributor to Yabangee
