London Turkish Folk-Dance Association
About Us
We are establishing a not-for-profit association to teach traditional Turkish and Turkish Cypriot folk dancing in London. We will be working together with established cultural and educational organisations, community groups in order to add value to the community in our local boroughs.
Between 2001 and 2013, we taught Turkish and Turkish Cypriot folk dancing to current and former students at Dr. Fazil Kucuk Turkish Supplementary School. Each year we had up to 120 students within 5 different age groups with the dancers ranging between the ages of 4 to 60.
Our association will bring together people from disparate groups spread across London not only from within the Turkish and Turkish Cypriot communities but from other backgrounds too, so everyone over the age of 18 is welcome to join.
Aims and Objectives
We aim to meet on a weekly basis and learn traditional dance techniques from within our culture. The professional dance routines will be choreographed by our experienced teacher so that they can be performed at all different types of events such as festivals, weddings and parties enabling us to encourage inclusivity, togetherness and friendship.
We aim is to ensure that Turkish Culture is kept alive in the UK through dance and other activities. It gives those interested the opportunity to learn about their heritage whilst keeping fit, improving their mental health, socialising, making new friends and travel.
In the future as ‘London Turkish Folk-Dance Association’ we will be taking our Turkish folk dancing and culture around the world to folk dance festivals. Previously, our teachers dance groups took part in festivals in Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Dubai, Germany, Italy, Poland, South Korea, Spain and Türkiye.
Our Teacher
Ahmet Havalı is a renowned and esteemed dance instructor who has taught at a number of schools, organisations and Turkish schools both in Northern Cyprus and London since 1990. His extensive experience and passion for folk dance has enabled many of his groups to partake in festivals and competitions around the world.
Ahmet has always dreamed of founding a folk dance school that would champion excellence in teaching, dancing, and performing. His dance groups have consistently delivered content with the utmost professionalism, and these performances have always been described by audiences as captivating.
Ahmet not only imparts his knowledge of dance but also instils essential values in his students. Through teaching, he emphasises the importance of professionalism, respect, honesty, cooperation, ambition and responsibility. These values are woven into the fabric of his dance classes, guiding his dancers to become both highly skilled and also well-rounded individuals with a strong sense of integrity and character. As a result, they excel in their performances but also carry these valuable life lessons with them beyond the dance floor.