Today we’d like to introduce you to Sukru Kibar.
Hi Sukru, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Based in Istanbul, educated in New York, I am a performance artist, dance teacher, and choreographer; I dedicate my work to heels dance. Pioneer of this style in Türkiye, I had the desire to empower local women, show them their own inner strength. By giving a voice to their bodies, they get to find their own voice against local patriarchy. My own path from inner conservative Anatolia to Istanbul, then New York, was an arduous yet uplifting one. First forced into a career as an engineer, I decided to quit that comfort to pursue the frowned-upon life of a performer. That freeing jump into the unknown got me all the way to the Broadway Dance Center, where I sharpened my skills and gathered experience. Armed with that knowledge, the desire to share my luck with my own countrymen. Back in Istanbul, I developed a strong pedagogical network that allowed to connect with local and international artists. These connections opened the door to becoming a creative director for video clips, art projects, commercials,
Having had no chance to discover dancing during my youth, I now yearn from my current position to give broad access to my passion to my younger, less privileged kin. It’s by knowing your roots that you can grow and bloom.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Impostor Syndrome of course, having not had the chance to assist to a dance class before my 24th year, I always felt the need to catch to my more privileged classmates. That feeling of not being good enough is what pushed me to work harder than anyone else to prove my worth to them and to myself. I also had to face the unwelcoming masculine culture of the country. Few gigs were open to such innovation. Financing my path in this environment was an uphill battle as I had to change their ways first before getting access to my own.
On a less dramatic note, the shoes gotta fit, and Türkiye isn’t famous for its line of male heels.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am known as the first and only Professional male heels-dancer in Türkiye. The reason I started to dance with heels was to challenge the rules, to bring a new perspective about gender roles and limitations. More than just feeling beautiful and fierce, it is about bringing new ideas to local communities about what can and cannot be done, about freeing men and women from the very reductive models they are stuck in. Broader than merely Türkiye, that call for freedom goes beyond borders, from the Balkans to Iran, from Ukraine to Lebanon.
The creative work starts with a thorough work of observation, as the voice I want heard is the one of the people around me. When I dance, it is not Șükrü Kibar expressing itself but all of the community that enrolled in the “BoyBye” community. It is their needs and concerns we express, their fears and hopes.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Star Quality. From the plains of Anatolia, shining brightly onto my community, so that altogether we may attain Freedom.
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Image Credits
Sinem Yılmaz
