| Anatolia
Folk & Vedat E GURSOYLU
Vedat
E. Gursoylu began playing the Baglama/Saz(Turkish String
Instrument) at age six and performed at many school concerts
during his elementary and secondary school career. Vedat
began folk dancing with a childhood friend in his early
teens and they danced together in their hometown of Samsun
at weddings and folk parties.
In
High School Vedat joined the Anatolian Folklore Foundation-Samsun
Dance Group and started to more formally learn Turkish
Folk Dances. After nine months of training, he joined
with the Anatolian Folklore Foundation-Samsun Dance Group
to Hungary and helped his dance group win second place
among all Folk Dance Groups. After this initial win in
Hungry, his dance group competed in many national and
international Folk Dancing Festivals in Turkey, Australia,
Yugoslavia, and Austria. Vedat performed all over Turkey
as one of Turkey's best cultural folklore activities in
dance and music, performed for several of Turkey's presidents,
and has received several letters of honor from the Anatolia
Folklore Foundation.
After
high school Vedat attended the Istanbul Technical University-Turkish
Musical State of Conservatory, one of the best Turkish
Musical Schools, in the "Turkish Folk Dance Department."
At the Conservatory Vedat learned more about Turkey's
regional folk dances, traditional Turkish Folk Music and
Traditional Music, and was trained in advanced baglama.
Vedat became acquainted with and took classes from many
talented dance instructors and musicians. During college
Vedat also taught folk dancing in Istanbul's elementary
and secondary schools, danced with the Anatolian Folklore
Foundation-Istanbul Group, and became proficient in Turkish
Folk Drums and Zurna(another Turkish Folk Instrument).
After
college Vedat began dancing with professional dance and
music groups, attended many International and National
Dance Festivals in Turkey, Europa and Middle East Countries
and worked with the Turkish National Television channel's
dance shows. His biggest accomplishment was working for
the Turkish Folk Nights with the some of the top Istanbul
Show Companies to put together entertainment events for
visitors to Turkey.
Vedat
came to the United States in 1995 for a year and came
back to live here permanently in 1997. In 1995 and 1997,
he performed as part of the AMAN international Folk Dance
and Music Company as
both a dancer and a musician. He has performed for several
shows in California including at the Hollywood Bowl and
Thousand Oaks with the AMAN group. Vedat has also conducted
many Turkish Folk Dance and Music workshop and shows throughout
the United States, taught Baglama to International Musicians,
performed at shows at various US Universities,
and has been a spokesmen for Turkish Music/Dance and Culture.
Vedat
has also worked with several dance troupes in California
including the Ya Amar Dance Troupe and loves to introduce
his Culture to others. He currently lives in Los Angeles/San
Pedro and has assembled his own Anatolian Folk Dance and
Music Ensemble in Los Angeles. As he likes to tell people,
this group is like the mosaic of the Anatolia and in that
it includes Turkish, Armenian, Greek, American and other
ethnic musicians and dancers. He currently performs with
this group and by himself at private and public performances
all over the USA.
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