Begüm Erciyas

Born in 1982 in Ankara/Turkey.

While studying molecular biology and genetics at Bilkent University in Ankara, Begüm Erciyas was introduced to contemporary dance through an amateur university contemporary dance group and started getting more and more interested in contemporary choreography.

With time she became involved in various projects in Turkey as a dancer, choreographer and coordinator, initiating [laboratuar] www.laboratuar.org, an experimental performance arts research and project group based in Istanbul, and is still one of the core members.

After her university studies, she studied at the Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance and received the danceWeb scholarship in 2006.

Her recent works, which have been presented at various national and international festivals, are »Margins« (2005), »Free Tryout Version« (2005), »Circuits« (2005), »The Convergence« (2006), »Camera Obscura« (2006), »Sites« (2007), and »In Range« (2007).

Erciyas is also an active member of Sweet and Tender Collaborations, an artists network that seeks to put the power of cultural production into the hands of artists themselves.