The 22nd International Bodrum Ballet Festival opened with Tchaikovsky's 'Swan Lake'.

Culture andTourismThe 22nd International Opera and Ballet Festival organized by the General Directorate of State Opera and Ballet (DOB) of the Ministry ofBasementThe Ballet Festival began with the performance of "Swan Lake".TürkiyeAt the opening of the festival, which was held in the Northern Moat of Bodrum Castle with the contributions of İş Bankası and has become one of the well-established cultural and artistic events, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's immortal work "Swan Lake" was performed,IzmirIt was staged by the State Opera and Ballet.

Following Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, known for their classical choreography, the work met with the audience with a contemporary interpretation by Armağan Davran and Volkan Ersoy.The play brought to the stage the dramatic journey of a cursed princess between fate and love with its magnificent music, impressive choreography and visual design.This unforgettable love story, where elegance and passion intertwine, features set design by Çağda Çitkaya, costume design by Nursun Ünlü, and lighting design by OğuzMurat Yilmazbelongs to."I think this will be a historic event with a record attendance."DOB General Manager and General Art Director Tan Sağtürk told journalists before the performance that they had increased the number of works with excellent programming and that they were excited to meet the audience.Sağtürk, explaining that tickets are almost sold out, said, "I'd like to thank everyone at DOB. They worked with great dedication. I believe this festival will break the record with a historic attendance record. I'd also like to thank İş Bankası for their support. Our festival, which reached 13,500 spectators last year, aims to achieve similar success this year."Türkiye İş Bankası Deputy General Manager Suat Sözen also noted that Bodrum is one of Türkiye's most popular tourism centers.Sözen, emphasizing the importance of DOB's hosting of the International Ballet Festival in Bodrum, said, "We are delighted to be at the intersection of art and tourism. We provided our initial support last year, and we've seen excellent results. The best audience of all time came last year. It looks like this year will surpass last year as well. This is a significant motivation for all of us."Oğuz Özlem, one of the first generation artists of Turkish ballet and the founder of the festival, also gave a speech on stage at the festival's opening night.Özlem, who spoke with gratitude for her contributions to art and the festival, was met with enthusiastic applause from the audience. Sağtürk then presented Özlem with a plaque of appreciation.At the opening of this year's festival, the deceased AnkaraState Opera and Ballet artist Almula Özlem was also commemorated.The work, which was performed at the opening of the festival, will meet the audience again tomorrow evening.