Count me in! Istanbul Fringe Festival

15 Jan 2025

Count me in! Istanbul Fringe Festival

Dance

Istanbul, Turkey

“Count me in!” is all about sharing stories that highlight diversity, equality, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging in the seat of art festivals. In this series you will hear their stories, and see how we can all make a difference by standing up for each other.

“Istanbul Fringe Festival is an independent performing arts festival based in Turkey, operating within a challenging economic and political context. One of our core objectives has been to offer affordable ticket prices so that college students—whom we consider as future artists and colleagues—can access our shows, especially international performances that are otherwise hard to find in Istanbul.

We are proud that this policy has been warmly embraced by young audiences. The Istanbul Fringe Festival has set a benchmark in audience engagement, achieving attendance rates of 90% and attracting a participant profile in which 60% are under the age of 35.

Additionally, we are proud to provide a platform for emerging artists in dance, a discipline whose visibility has drastically diminished within Turkey’s performing arts scene. By fostering co-creation and innovative forms that connect young local dancers with international artists, we create pathways for promotion, international touring, and peer-to-peer learning.

We are also deeply committed to creating a space for queer voices and visibility, particularly as these communities face violence, stigmatization, and public targeting in Turkey.

Finally, we are proud to cultivate a space for creativity, courage, inspiration, joy, and hope, where diversity is celebrated and transformative experiences are made possible despite an authoritarian backdrop.”

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