Dance, Sport and Art is a passion

BDK is a non-profit organisation which was set up to cater for and provide a centre for local, national and international dance, arts, activities, seminars and events. At the same time BDK contributes Bodrum by hosting international dance shows and competitions which support local tourism and the community.

BDK was formed in the corridors of the local municipality offices in the year 2000 and after 6 years of hard work, they finally realised their dream in 2006 to become an officially recognised and legal Dance Club & Association which was set up as a non-profit organisation.

In 2015, BDK moved to current studios and offices situated close by the entrance to Bodrum. With a combination of 122 volunteers and employees. BDK have had 9840 students since its formation. Website: www.bodrumdans.com

The “International Bodrum Dance Festival”, which takes place in the last week of every May, is one of the biggest dance festivals in Europe, included in the UNESCO cultural events list.

The International Bodrum Dance Festival, which started as a local event in 2000 and takes place with an increasing number of participants every year, is held on the Bodrum peninsula in the last week of May every year by the Bodrum Dance Club.

The festival, which was included in the list of cultural events by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and whose logo usage request is renewed every year,
took place as the biggest dance festival in Europe between 2013-2016.

The festival, where performances of all dance types were exhibited until 2017, changed its concept as MODERN DANCE FESTIVAL and LATIN DANCE FESTIVAL since Bodrum Castle North Trench was closed due to restoration in 2018, due to not be able to find a large performance area

More than 700 dancers and relatives of more than 2 thousand athletes from all over Turkey come to Bodrum for the competitions, which are also supported by the Turkish Dance Sports Federation.

It is also worth mentioning that the International Bodrum Dance Festival is a first in the world and includes almost all European countries in the festival committee.

There are 32 volunteers from 21 countries in the festival committee. These volunteers come to Bodrum 45 days before the festival and exhibit an unprecedented joint work. 32 foreign guests from 21 different cultures are exhibiting the best example of cultural unity. With this aspect, the festival is rewarded by UNESCO with the use of the logo every year. Another difference of the festival from other festivals is that it directly affects the economy of Bodrum. Aside from the fact that 360 news in 36 countries is an excellent advertisement, thousands of people who come to the festival to perform, as well as to compete in TDSF competitions, pay for all their accommodation and meals themselves and leave a considerable amount of foreign currency to Bodrum in the low season. Considering that the foreign exchange that the festival brought to Bodrum in a week is 1.2 million Euros, it is enough to see how beneficial the festival is for Bodrum, even with this aspect alone.

The festival is also supported by the Ministry of EU Affairs and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

The International Bodrum Dance Festival, which is the only event in the history of the world with its committee reaching 122 volunteers from 30 different countries, will include Modern Dance, Jazz Dance, Show Dance and Hip Hop dances in 2022.