The finals for 15th Folk Dance Contest organized under Sabanci Foundation’s cooperation with the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and Tourism was organized along with a glamorous award ceremony in attendance of distinguished guests.

Dubbed as the most important contest in Turkey in the field of folk dances since its onset in 1994, awards for Turkish Folk Dance Contests were given away to the winners in a splendid ceremony organized at Ataturk Cultural Center on May 14, 2007.

A fruit of the collaboration between the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and Tourism and the Sabanci Foundation, who have been contributing much to the preservation and upholding of educational, social and cultural values thanks to its omnipresent activities all around Turkey and its permanent works dotted around the country, the ceremony was a big dance party in the real sense of the word thanks to the performances by 10 bands qualified for finals. Not unlike previous years, the best folk dance bands of Turkey were voted from among the contestants.

Ms. Guler Sabanci, the Chairman of Sabanci Foundation Board of Trustees delivered a speech during the ceremony, stating that the Foundation initiated and completed various projects, including those ones related to the education, and Turkish Folk Dance Contest organized by the Foundation has had a unique place among the rest of the projects. Ms. Sabanci said the following: “We are very happy to support this contest, the mission of which is to support and guide the way for folk dances bands in the first place, a mission which is all the more valuable considering the fact that those bands are striving to keep cultural and folkloric values alive, and disseminate the same.”

Mr. Atilla Koc, the Minister of Cultural Affairs and Tourism, also attended the ceremony, Highlighting the importance of preserving and upholding local values in a globalized era, Mr. Koc stated that folk dances represented our cultural values shaped up by the buildup of the centuries, reflecting the living style and feelings of our people living in these lands and that he really believed that this contest played a significant role in making folk dances attain the justified level of respect and attention they deserve.

10 bands competed in the finals for Turkish 15th Folk Dance Contest. In the night anchored by Mr. Mithat Ozyilmazel, Mr. Atilla Koc, Ms, Guler Sabanci, Ms. Dilek Sabanci and Mr. Husnu Pacacioglu awarded the winners with their rewards and letters of honors.