Kurdish Dance Identity in Contemporary Turkey
Fethi Karakeçili
York University
This is a study of Kurdish dance identity in contemporary Turkey and how successive government policies have impacted its recognition. In particular I focus on two distinct examples of Kurdish dance. In the Kurdish language dance is called dilan. The first example, Delilo, is a simple folk dance which has become highly politicized. It is arguably the most common folk dance in Kurdistan. The second example is the Kurdish dance widely known by the Turkish name Galuç. It is a more complicated and choreographed dance, which is renowned nationally and internationally. The name of this dance in Kurdish is Pale.
The political situation for Kurds living in Turkey has been a difficult one at best. The Kurds, denied their culture and identity, have had to assimilate with the broader Turkish national culture or risk political persecution. I was born and grew up in the Kurdish area of Turkey as a Kurd and experienced this policy first … | 
