Mihran Tomasyan

Mihran Tomasyan has started dancing with folkloric dances. During his high school years at Getronagan School, his interest in performing arts was triggered upon watching Kim O? (Who’s That?) by KUM,PAN,YA. He continued at the Modern Dance Department, Mimar Sinan Universtiy (1997-2001) and then went to Angers, France to study at Centre National de Dance Contemporain (2001-2002). In 1999, he performed with Rebecca Lazier in the US and Canada. In 2000, he worked with Yard Dance Group at Martha’s Vineyard Island and in the same year, he performed the works developed there at the New York Downtown Festival choreographed by Edisa Weeks.

Between 2002 and 2007, he worked as a dancer at Cie Cre-Ange in Paris. He performed in various shows such as Go baby go, I wanna be your dog, Man and Ray, Favorite Things, Embreasse- nous, L’encontre, and Piece a Conviction. Besides these works, he continued performing for internationally acclaimed companies and choreographers such as As Palavras in Belgium, Sasha Waltz in Germany, Da Motus in Switzerland, Association YMA in France and Aydin Teker and Tugce Tuna in Turkey.

He choreographed Mehmet Barış’ı Seviyor (Mehmet Loves Peace, 2005) at Çıplak Ayaklar Kumpanyası which he co-founded in 2003. With this show, the company performed countless times and acquired a strong ground within Turkey’s contemporary dance scene. In 2007, the company opened up their own studio venue at the heart of Istanbul and Mihran has focused his energy to produce works under Çıplak Ayaklar Kumpanyası. He created pieces performed several times like Ters Okyanus, Sen Balık Değilsin Ki, Hayat Ağacı, Gomidas’la Yolculuk, Tüh, Her An Her Şey Olabilir, and Sar. Since 2012, with his colleague Duygu Güngör, he has been hosting a radio program titled Dance with Çıplak Ayaklar at an independent station called Açık Radyo. Based in Istanbul, Mihran continues to work as a dancer, instructor, studio manager, choreograph and producer.