Bursa Tahtakıran Sword Shield Folkdance Association

INFO

Turkey, located between Europe and Asia, referred as Turks by the Han people, have taken the key control of the Silk Road, whilst simultaneously integrating western and oriental culture and combining ethnicities, and hence, brought the greatness of the Byzantine Empire and the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire lasted between the 14th and 19th Century, reaching its apex through dominance in Asia, Europe, and Africa. Although dismantled after World War I, the Empire has brought the glorious history in Turkey. Bursa Tahtakıran Sword Shield Folkdance Association was founded in 1956; as the representative Kilic Kalkan group, the folkdance association plays the key role of modernization and promotion to a wider audience. 

The Kilic Kalkan dance originates from Bursa in Northwestern Turkey. Legend has it that the military of the Ottoman Empire planned to take this city from the territory of the Byzantine, and therefore, soldiers conducted drills with swords and shields for inspiring the military. The beat and tempo from the sound of weapon hitting together generated the beginning of the folkdance. Bursa, as once the capital of the Ottoman Empire, the Kilic Kalkan dance, hence, has been handed down for more than 700 years, symbolizing the triumph of conquering of this city by the Empire. This dance preserves tradition that performed by male dancers dressed in early Ottoman battle dress and dancing to the sound of clashing swords and shields without music.