In Kars, the folk dance wind blew

The first ‘Folk Dance Festival’ held in Kars witnessed colorful scenes. 400 students enchanted the audience with the regional folk dances they performed. Organized under the leadership of Kars Governorship as part of the ‘Anatolian Rhythm Project,’ which is one of the sub-projects of the CAUCASUS Project, the Folk Dance Festival took place at Kars City Stadium. The event began with a moment of silence and the singing of the National Anthem. In his opening speech at the festival, Governor Ziya Polat of Kars said, ‘Yes, Kars. The frontier Kars, the heroic Kars, the city of firsts, the cradle of civilization. We always know that we represent the culture and history of this city, welcome our guests in the best possible way, and provide our people with beautiful times through our Caucasian and local games.’ Polat added, ‘Especially in the winter months, we reflect our culture in the streets and avenues, and we see the happiness in the eyes of our people as they leave. Of course, we see that we have entered the hearts of our people through not only the Caucasian and local games of these children but also through our Anatolian Rhythm projects aimed at increasing the number of folk dance groups in our schools and involving our children in cultural activities. Yes, this year we are having an end-of-year festival. But hopefully next year, this stadium will be full. We aim to have a minimum of 100 schools around the entire field, with a minimum of 24 schools performing here now. We want at least 100 schools next year, with our folk dance team being prepared in the districts, firstly having a folk dance festival in the districts, and then in heroic Kars. Let our festival be auspicious and blessed.’ Following the speeches, 25 teams from 24 schools and 400 students presented their performances. The students showcased regional dances such as Caucasian, Local, Tourism, Horon, Zeybek, creating colorful scenes. At the end of the show, the students presented the Turkish Flag they raised to Governor Polat.