Kybele Dance Theater Comes to The Broad Stage, Today

The Broad Stage presents Kybele Dance Theater, founded in 2003 in Los Angeles by Turkish/American choreographer Seda Aybay, with two premieres - Güne? Do?udan Yükselir (Sun Rises from the East) and Noir, as well as Sonsuz, on Friday, September 14 at 7:30pm. Founder and artistic director Seda Aybay said, "I want to create work that build bridges between genders, races, cultures and communities that are relatable to everyone."

"While born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey I grew up traveling all over the world and exposed to different cultures, traditions and stories. I desire to awaken the audience's emotions by accenting forgotten moments of life -- fusing contemporary dance with Turkish imagery and deconstructing Turkish cultural references. Los Angeles, with its multicultural DNA, is the perfect base to share these stories. I seek common ground, connecting to each culture."

Inspired by Sufi philosophy, Güne? Dogudan Yukselir (Sun Rises from the East) embraces the idea of Nar, which symbolizes the idea that no matter how different we all are, we are all connected. Nar means pomegranate. Inside, there are hundreds of seeds inside that are all in slightly different sizes, shapes, and flavors. Despite the variety and the multitude of the seeds, they still are one pomegranate. Aybay said, "At a time when communities and cultures are fractured by race, gender, politics and religion, it is important to find a way to shed our ego, materialism and judgment to be able to look a person in the eye and see their essence, and recognize we are all one."

Noir (premiere, work-shopped 2017 in Temecula) is inspired by the dark themes of forties' film noir, with the archetype femme fatale, who uses her femininity to lure men down destructive and dangerous paths. Historically, these characters were born from when soldiers came home from fighting in World War II to find women more independent and challenging of gender roles of that time. Noir depicts the ongoing battle for a strong woman pursuing her desires to shake society's scrutiny deeming her subversive, provocative and a villainess femme fatale.

Sonsuz is inspired by Mary Oliver's poem When Death Comes about cherishing every moment in life, and living to its fullest with no regrets. Sonsuz considers the possibility of life after death and enduring eternal love. It portrays the different relationships and its memories that envelop minds.

Tickets are on sale at www.thebroadstage.org or by calling 310-434-3200.

Seda Aybay's work employs contrasting movements of nuance, beauty, surprise, and fearless risk -- pushing the physical body to its limits for electrifying moments - and sometimes the simply bizarre. "My approach to movement evolved to include quick weight shifts, use of momentum and gravity, coupled with refined versions of daily gestures. I look for contrasts in extreme body positions, and at the same time believe in the clean lines of classicism swiftly blending into the earthiness of modern dance and the an emotionalism of contemporary movement. This all speaks to going to the depths of creativity."

Jodie Gates, the Vice Dean of the Glorya Kaufman School of Dance said, "Seda is poetic genius." And from reviews of previous work, Jeff Slayton in LA Dance Chronicle said, "Aybay's work is rich with movement, purpose and thought-provoking images. Kina has beautiful moments and extraordinary dancing " Lewis Segal said in the Los Angeles Times, "... her sophisticated sense of movement counterpoint sustained interest in her formal patterning. As each couple danced, you seemed to be watching a summary of a complex relationship swiftly, lightly impressed upon your consciousness."

Kybele Dance Theater has been presented in Los Angeles, Long Beach, Las Vegas, Temecula, Fresno, Concord, San Jose, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, New York and Istanbul, Turkey. With Seda's choreography, KDT received awards from McCallum Choreography Festival, Front and Main Festival, MAD BAD Festival, Dance Under the Stars Festival, and RAW 2011. In 2017, KDT performed full evening programs presented by Temecula Presents, Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz, West Las Vegas Library Theatre and Clark County Library Theatre.

Over the past two years, KDT has also been presented by Laguna Dance Festival, Los Angeles Dance Festival, Bergamont Station Summer Solstice, Palm Springs Dance Festival, Pasadena Dance Festival, So-Cal Golden West Invitational and curated in New York City showcases by Peridance Capezio, Elsie Management and Booking Dance.

In 2018, KDT performed a full-evening performance presented by The Muckenthaler in Fullerton, awarded the New Movement Residency at USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance and showcased for LA Dance Platform by LA Department of Cultural Affairs. KDT is dedicated to building bridges between cultures and genders and creating a global perspective through contemporary dance.