In the 1930s in Turkey, A. Panosyan gained fame as Turkey’s “dance professor.” One of his students, who left a mark on Turkish dance history during that era, was Ümit Hayri İris, renowned for teaching dance to numerous actors in Yeşilçam era films and being the foremost name associated with partnered dances in Turkey. İris’s dance partner was Seval Uğur Mutlu, a model, presenter, cinema actress, and ballroom dance artist, who was given the nickname “Carmen” by Müzeyyen Senar. Together, they represented Turkey internationally in various projects related to education, academic presentations, information technology, culture, and the arts.

Joining them in a discussion on the topic of “Women and Art from Past to Future” moderated by Çiğdem Yorgancıoğlu, a world-traveling educator economist and artist, and founder of MIM CHI 360 Drama Dance Theatre, will be Seval Uğur Mutlu and Hicran Çiğdem Yorgancıoğlu (Eftalya). This discussion will be held as part of the Chi Ci Talks event organized for International Working Women’s Day at KOMPOZE DEVELOPMENT Workshops. Additionally, the same duo will present an improvised dance performance at the Soyak site as part of the activities for International Women’s Day, within the framework of the TangoNeon activities hosted by Çetin Cengiz’s dance school on March 9th.

In the past, the duo has participated in various Chi Ci Talks discussions and activities during book signing events for their respective poetry books. Before the pandemic, they were also involved in the Tango Therapy Platform Project at the Harbiye Istanbul Congress Center, which is Istanbul’s largest convention center, organized by Çiğdem Yorgancıoğlu, who curated the event. They collaborated on a four-day fair and congress Tango event. Moreover, in the recent past, during the autumn of 2023, they worked with renowned artists such as Julio Iglesias and the Paraguayan group “Los Paraguayos,” as well as Spanish musician Rafael Caraballo Sanchez, a member of an aristocratic family. They engaged in Chi Ci Talks discussions, accompanied by melodies, reminiscing about memories from the past to the present, both in dance and conversation. Çiğdem Yorgancıoğlu and Seval Uğur Mutlu also signed their books at the end of the same event.

Currently, the artists are continuing to work on a project focusing on nostalgia, art, and the past. They are preparing to announce the launch of their project in the spring months.