TURKISH FOLK DANCES AND PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIP

Abstract

Turkish folk dances are cultural elements that are transmitted through repetition practices in traditional life in social areas such as weddings, henna ceremonies, and sending off soldiers. With the establishment of the Republic of Turkey, within the framework of Atatürk's modernization and westernization policies, folk dances took part in institutions such as Community Centres and Village Institutes with the task of creating a national identity in the new Turkey. During this period, a number of developments took place that would affect the future presentation of folk dances. The activities of the Folk Dances Survival and Dissemination Facility established by Yapı Kredi Bank in festivals and competitions, the establishment of the State Folk Dances Ensemble, the establishment of Turkish Folk Dances departments and the shows of the group called Sultans of The Dance in the early 2000s, the tourism sector expanded the field of folk dances. stand out as affecting developments. The field of folk dances has established a bond with the profession in the light of these developments.

A profession is a regular job or activity that individuals perform using the knowledge, skills and experience they have acquired in a specific field. It is usually shaped around a specific area of expertise and varies depending on factors such as cultural differences, sectoral variations and evolution over time. Professionals progress in their professions by gaining experience over time and following a specific career development path.

A profession generally refers to a status that is recognized and accepted in a particular society. Folk dances are a phenomenon that the society loves and respects and is a tool in cultural transmission. Therefore, it is in a disadvantaged position in terms of being associated as a profession in society, and it is difficult for the society to associate profession and folk dances and put them in a status.

The aim of this study is to reveal the relationship between folk dances and profession in the light of developments in the field. It is important to enable monitoring the developments of the field of study, especially to understand how folk dance professionals interact with the folk dance tradition and how they continue this tradition. In the study, the theoretical framework of the concept of profession was drawn and the conceptual infrastructure was created by scanning the literature. Turkish folk dances and the concept of profession are associated with the developments in the field and interpreted with the experiences the authors gained through participant observation in the field.