About Us / Folk Tours Music and Dance events in the United States and Turkey,Tours of Turkey, Educational dance workshops in authentic Turkish, Romany (Gypsy), Folk and Oriental (bellydance) dances

Tayyar Akdeniz was born in Kars, Turkey. He was raised in Ankara where he began performing as a child.He was influenced greatly and learned many dance and music styles from the Romany (Gypsy) population in his neighborhood in Ankara. He worked and toured with many Turkish dance ensembles throughout his childhood and adolescence and started teaching professionally at the age of 16. Tayyar learned, performed and taught hundreds of Turkish folk dances for National folk dance associations in Turkey. He toured extensively throughout the world with the prestigious Turkish State Folk Dance Ensemble and with other dance troupes. He has performed on the stages of Bulgaria, Romania, the former Yugoslavia, Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Russia, Mexico, Albania, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, Hong Kong, China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Cyprus and throughout the United States. He has learned dances from such well known masters as Duygu Aykal, Sonya Aslan, Gul Oya Arioba and Atlan Tekin. Tayyar has shared the stage with many very distinguished artists, musicians and singers, including Zeki Muren, Nida Tufekci, Arif Sag, Muhlis Akarsu, Izzet Altinmese, Ozay Gonlum, Belkis Akkale, Ajda Pekkan and Ibrahim Tatlises. As a singer and musician, his skills with song, the baglama (lute), davul (drum) and kasiklar (wooden spoons) are much in demand. He has taught in Turkey at May 19th University, Samsum Municipal Conservatory and at Hacette University. His love of dance is evident in the sheer joy that he projects from the stage. His productions are of the highest caliber seen anywhere in ethnic dance and are virtually flawless.
In 1989 Tayyar moved from Turkey to the United States, settling in New York. Since then he has worked tirelessly to keep a sense of Turkish culture alive in America, particularly for children. He has taught, organized and directed many folkloric activities sponsored by the Turkish American Youth Association, the Turkish Women's League of America and currently continues to make a positive impact with his astonishing capabilities as the Director of Cultural Affairs for the Federation of Turkish American Associations, Inc. His files are teaming with certificates, awards, invitations, and letters of thanks from various organizations and Turkish heads of State. In 1994, he established the award winning Turkish Fine Arts Ensemble, Inc. in New York City and toured with the group throughout the United States. Tayyar founded and owns M.E.D. Folk Tours, Inc., and is now devoting his time between Turkey and the United States. He is looking forward to sharing his love of dance and music and his knowledge of Middle Eastern culture through many dance and music events both in the USA and Turkey.


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	M.E.D. Folk Tours offers educational and entertaining music and dance events in the United States and in Turkey. Our goal is to use music and dance to build bridges between countries and cultures. We want to educate, enlighten and inspire students of all ages, genders, creeds and ethnic backgrounds. We also provide tours of Turkey with a special emphasis on seeing the sights, learning the history and experiencing the culture. We are a company run by dancers and musicians FOR dancers and musicians - we understand your needs!
DIRECTOR TAYYAR AKDENIZ Choreographer Performer Musician Teacher Promoter Tayyar Akdeniz was born in Kars, Turkey. He was raised in Ankara where he began performing as a child.He was influenced greatly and learned many dance and music styles from the Romany (Gypsy) population in his neighborhood in Ankara. He worked and toured with many Turkish dance ensembles throughout his childhood and adolescence and started teaching professionally at the age of 16. Tayyar learned, performed and taught hundreds of Turkish folk dances for National folk dance associations in Turkey. He toured extensively throughout the world with the prestigious Turkish State Folk Dance Ensemble and with other dance troupes. He has performed on the stages of Bulgaria, Romania, the former Yugoslavia, Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Russia, Mexico, Albania, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, Hong Kong, China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Cyprus and throughout the United States. He has learned dances from such well known masters as Duygu Aykal, Sonya Aslan, Gul Oya Arioba and Atlan Tekin. Tayyar has shared the stage with many very distinguished artists, musicians and singers, including Zeki Muren, Nida Tufekci, Arif Sag, Muhlis Akarsu, Izzet Altinmese, Ozay Gonlum, Belkis Akkale, Ajda Pekkan and Ibrahim Tatlises. As a singer and musician, his skills with song, the baglama (lute), davul (drum) and kasiklar (wooden spoons) are much in demand. He has taught in Turkey at May 19th University, Samsum Municipal Conservatory and at Hacette University. His love of dance is evident in the sheer joy that he projects from the stage. His productions are of the highest caliber seen anywhere in ethnic dance and are virtually flawless. In 1989 Tayyar moved from Turkey to the United States, settling in New York. Since then he has worked tirelessly to keep a sense of Turkish culture alive in America, particularly for children. He has taught, organized and directed many folkloric activities sponsored by the Turkish American Youth Association, the Turkish Women's League of America and currently continues to make a positive impact with his astonishing capabilities as the Director of Cultural Affairs for the Federation of Turkish American Associations, Inc. His files are teaming with certificates, awards, invitations, and letters of thanks from various organizations and Turkish heads of State. In 1994, he established the award winning Turkish Fine Arts Ensemble, Inc. in New York City and toured with the group throughout the United States. Tayyar founded and owns M.E.D. Folk Tours, Inc., and is now devoting his time between Turkey and the United States. He is looking forward to sharing his love of dance and music and his knowledge of Middle Eastern culture through many dance and music events both in the USA and Turkey.
CO-DIRECTOR ELIZABETH ARTEMIS MOURAT Choreographer Performer Teacher Lecturer Artemis has been dancing and teaching dance history worldwide for over 33 years. She brings her spirited and articulate technique to workshops, which always includes a lecture on the history and culture that generates the dances that she teaches. Artemis has contributed to many publications. Extensive travel to 33 countries and intensive research into the idioms of the East, women's issues, psychology, ancient history, oriental dance and dance ethnology have yielded many manuscripts and articles. She has an M.A in psychology, and M.S.W in social work (with a specialization in cross cultural awareness) and has done postgraduate work in dance movement therapy. Artemis has won three "ethnic dancer" awards and a lifetime achievement award in her field.
MISS KELLY WEBB Web & Graphic Design, Promotion, Management Once introduced to Turkish culture by Tayyar Akdeniz, Miss Webb fell in love with this multi faceted country and it's rich tradition of music and dance. She feels blessed to be working with Tayyar and Artemis Mourat, two of the top experts in the field of Turkish music and dance. She is determined to promote these wonderful art forms worldwide. A graphic artist by profession, Miss Kelly Webb has also been involved in the downtown New York City art, music and performance scene for over 15 years. She has performed in New York and Europe with former Andy Warhol superstar Penny Arcade, has produced and starred in several short films which have been featured at festivals throughout the world and has acted in mainstream film and television productions. As the singer for "Fresh Fish and the Fishsticks" she has performed at such institutions such as The Brooklyn Museum of Art and the Guggenheim Museum and cites three appearances at Carnegie Hall amoung her many New York solo performances. She has toured internationally with the sculptural movement company Pink Inc. and was invited to Wales three times to give performances based on the history of vaudeville at the Cardiff College of the Arts. Since her initiation to Middle Eastern music and dance, she continues to deepen her knowledge and cultural pursuits by her travels to Turkey and her work at home in New York.
MIASIA Registration Staff Director, Management A formally trained Middle Eastern Belly Dancer whose experience in Burlesque serves to create a uniquely satisfying entertainment experience, Miasia has been captivating audiences from DC to NY to San Francisco for many years. To see her perform is to know the real power of a woman’s body. Audiences will find themselves seduced by sensual movement that explodes the myth of what large women can and will do with their bodies. In addition to performing, teaching and traveling, Miasia is also an extremely successful organizer who has lent her considerable talents to Folk Tours. Knowing what a dancer needs and wants allows her (and all of our staff) to make informed decisions about the comfort and quality of our programs.
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