Participants: Handan Uzal Dündar, İhsan Rüstem

In this conversation, Istanbul Theatre Festival Programming Manager Handan Uzal Dündar welcomes London-born choreographer and curator İhsan Rüstem, who has created works for numerous international companies. The talk brings audiences and those working behind the scenes together for an open conversation about the curiosity and preconceptions surrounding contemporary dance. What is contemporary dance? Does it mean the same thing in Istanbul, Zurich, London or Seoul, or does each place shape its own understanding of the contemporary? How can the body express what words cannot? Can confusion sometimes spark creativity? Through these questions, the conversation will explore why contemporary dance is so often perceived as abstract, intellectual or inaccessible, where these preconceptions come from and how they might be challenged.

The event will be held in Turkish. Advance booking is required.