In her column, Gülseren Onanç, Founding Chair of the SES Equality and Solidarity Association, commemorates Geyvan McMillen, one of Turkey’s most influential modern dance choreographers, and contends that embracing modern dance as a way of life in a conservative country like Turkey is, in itself, an act of cultural resistance. Onanç asserts that we owe Geyvan a debt of gratitude for providing women with a path to resistance through modern dance over her 60-year artistic career.
I should have known she was from our region when I looked at her dark skin and black eyes. But for some reason, I never questioned it. She seemed like she came from another world. She was more than just a woman born in Gaziantep and educated in Ankara.
Last week, Geyvan McMillen, one of Turkey’s most important modern dance choreographers, departed from this world, leaving behind a void that may be irreplaceable in Turkey and perhaps the world.
I watched one of Geyvan’s dance performances in the early 2000s, during a period when Turkey had a vision of joining the European Union and Istanbul hosted international concerts and festivals. I don’t remember if it was before or after Pina Bausch’s unforgettable performance “Nefes” for IKSV, but I remember one thing clearly: I was mesmerized.
Modern Dance: The Rebellious Spirit Seizing the Body
Modern dance was the rebellion of a spirit trapped within the human body. The rebellious spirit took over the body, breaking its chains and setting it free, creating an enchanting, sacred ritual. It didn’t just liberate the dancers on stage but also opened a door to freedom for the audience.
After that performance, I considered becoming a modern dancer. I was already past thirty and had embarked on a career, but I thought, “If I were to live again, I would want to be a modern dancer.” I still think so.
I believe that dance, as the most aesthetic form of rebellion, is the best way for my activist spirit to express itself.
Friends from the women’s movement may remember, in 2019, a feminist collective in Chile called Las Tesis created a dance performance for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, which spread worldwide. We, too, performed the Las Tesis dance as activist women in Izmir and Istanbul were saying, “We are doing this dance to embody the protest.”
Choreography: The Search for Originality and Freedom
In 1960, Geyvan graduated from Hacettepe University State Conservatory’s Ballet Department. That same year, she joined the Ankara State Ballet as a dancer and student of Dame Ninette De Valois at the Ankara State Opera and Ballet. Between 1960 and 1970, she worked as a dancer, instructor, and choreographer.
But Geyvan was searching for something more. Even as a student, she sought to decipher the codes of freely using the body through choreography. I imagine that the liberating winds of the ’68 generation, with their motto “be realistic, demand the impossible,” influenced her journey as well.
In Ankara’s conservatory, she approached the famous choreographer Richard Gradson and asked, “Can’t I create choreography too, sir?” With a hint of ego, Gradson implied that she couldn’t, saying, “You’re still very young.” But Geyvan persisted, asking, “Can’t I do it as a young person?” He got angry and scolded her, saying, “Do you think you’re Maria Callas?”
The Dancer of the 20th Century: Martha Graham
While seeking ways to expand the realm of freedom through her art and dance, a dance company came to town. The Ankara tour of the Martha Graham Dance Company brought what she had been searching for right to her doorstep. Martha Graham, an American dancer and choreographer hailed by TIME magazine as the “Dancer of the 20th Century,” created her own modern dance technique. Her revolutionary approach to dance and theatre transformed the art and introduced an innovative physical language that left an irreversible impact on dance worldwide.
The Martha Graham Dance Company’s performance in Turkey opened new horizons for Geyvan. Until that day, she only knew classical ballet, but she was captivated by this liberated form of dance.
Modern Dance: The Individual Telling Their Own Story
In classical ballet, the individual tells someone else’s story, whereas in modern dance, the person tells their own story through their body. This was the key to freedom that Geyvan was seeking, and Martha Graham’s dance technique provided it. She pursued this technique on a scholarship at the London Contemporary Dance School between 1970 and 1974 and later went to New York for a year to study Merce Cunningham’s dance technique. Upon her return to London, she taught this technique to other students like herself.
She rushed back to her homeland as soon as she graduated.
Keyvan
Speaking of homeland, the meaning of the name “Geyvan” intrigued me. While researching, I discovered that “Keyvan” in Persian refers to the planet Saturn, reinforcing my belief that she was from another world. In Kurdish, “Keyvan” means a bride preparing herself.
By 1974, when she returned to Turkey, her last name was McMillen. She had married Paul McMillen, a photographer and creative director, and together they returned to Ankara’s intellectual circles.
Determined to bring new traditions to the old village, she sought to establish a modern dance company within the Ankara State Opera and Ballet but was unsuccessful. She faced the difficulty of explaining something she knew to those who didn’t understand, yet she never gave up. According to her, she encountered obstacles because she was a pioneer and extremely honest. When the state could not establish a modern dance company, she created her own, and later, her students formed many other dance companies.
In 2023, the Istanbul Theatre Festival honoured Geyvan McMillen’s 60-year contribution to dance, as her students spoke about her dedication to art and passion for dance in a commemorative video.
Be Original and Free
She dedicated her life to teaching students at Mimar Sinan University State Conservatory and Yıldız Technical University, encouraging them to be original and helping them express their unique dances freely. In 2002, she founded the Cemal Reşit Rey Dance Theatre Company, which was unfortunately closed by the municipality in 2005. In response, she founded the Istanbul Dance Theatre and took her choreographed performance Mahrem to the Venice Dance Biennale, where she was later invited four more times. At the Biennale, she read a statement against violence towards women, proclaiming that women could break imposed limitations through free and unique way of dancing.
Developing an Activist Dance
At a dinner with Geyvan McMillen, I shyly asked if I could be a good dancer. She stood me up, turned me around, raised my arms, and gave me an unforgettable answer: “Yes, your body proportions are very suitable.” She then added, “You can join my classes at Yıldız Technical University.”
I regret that I couldn’t accept her invitation. I wish I had become her disciple and learned from her to use my body freely and uniquely, crafting “an activist’s dance” with her.
A Woman Resisting Through Dance and Choreography
In my opinion, choosing modern dance as a way of life in a conservative country like Turkey is, in itself, a form of cultural resistance. We owe Geyvan a debt of gratitude for showing women a path to resistance through modern dance during her 60 years of artistic life.
Let me conclude this piece, from the perspective of an activist, with her own words:
“Art is an extraordinary magic
that embraces a person,
defeats death, and reaches immortality.
An extraordinary magic.”
Thank you endlessly, Geyvan McMillen, for the magic you brought to our lives.