Nilay Çağlayan

She successfully completed her ballet education, which she began as a student of Madame Olga at the Istanbul Municipal Conservatory. She completed her undergraduate studies in the Department of Turkish Folk Dances at Istanbul Technical University State Conservatory and her master’s degree at the ITU Institute of Social Sciences.

During her undergraduate studies, she also received pedagogical training and obtained her pedagogical formation certificate. During this period, she worked for many years as a ballet teacher at Netaş Rhythmic Gymnastics Club, Işık Primary School, and Tercüman College.

She served for many years as a lecturer in ballet courses at the Department of Turkish Folk Dances at ITU State Conservatory. As a choreographer and dancer, she took part in concerts in many cities across the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany with the “Golden Horn Ensemble,” a group founded in 1997 and still active today, consisting of conservatory graduates.

These concerts, which presented traditional Turkish music together with original choreographies inspired by it, marked a first—especially with one of the performances taking place on the stage of the Berlin Philharmonic. Her background in both ballet and folk dances made a significant contribution to creating a synthesis of Turkish music, ballet, and folk dances.

She has choreographed dances for the Uygur Children’s Theatre during the 2012–2013 season for the plays “Ladybug Pani and Her Magnificent Adventure” and “Snow White in the Land of Germs.” She currently teaches ballet at Private Nilay Ballet Course and ITUSEM (Istanbul Technical University Continuing Education Center).