RHYTHM&DANCE Children and Youth Art Center

Rhythm&Dance Children and Youth Art Center is a Türkiye-based organization devoted to presenting Turkish folk dances in a way that remains true to their roots while embracing the language of contemporary stage arts. The group is known for its unique performances that bring together folk dance and traditional percussion instruments, creating a rich and dynamic artistic expression of Turkish culture.
Although officially founded in 2024, Rhythm&Dance emerged as the successor to the Hacettepe University Children and Youth Folk Dance Ensemble, originally established in 1996. After nearly three decades of cultural and artistic activity, the ensemble concluded its journey under the university framework and was reestablished as an independent institution — adopting the
name Rhythm&Dance, along with its full team, experience, and artistic vision. The mission has remained the same since the very beginning: to promote and represent Türkiye and Turkish culture accurately and artistically, in line with both authentic tradition and contemporary stage aesthetics, and to pass on folk dance heritage to younger generations from an early age.
At the moment, Rhythm&Dance consists of 200 dancers of 10-30
years of ages.

Rhythm&Dance has participated more than 150 international festivals in 35 different countries including The Turkish Republic of North Cyprus, Ashkhabad - Turkmenistan, New York – USA,
Washington D.C - USA, Montreal - Canada, Oradea - Romania, Skopje – Ohrid
Macedonia, Osijek - Hrvatska, Artek-Ukraine , Yekaterinburg - Russia , Shenzhen
China, I-Lan Taiwan, Bobruisk – Belarus, Yakutia – Russia, Fribourg - Switzerland,
Amsterdam-Utrecht - Holland, Belgium, Muscat-Oman, Odensa-Danmark, Frydek-Mistek Czechia, Bourgas, Sliven Republic of Bulgaria, Comrat- Moldova, Kiev-Ukraine, Debrecen-Keschkemet Hungary, Hollo&Martta -Lahti Finland, Belgrade – Serbia, Uzice-Serbia, Germany-Weilburg, New Delhi-India, Sarajevo - Bosnia and Herzegovina, Rimini-Italy, Vychodna-Slovakia, Poland-Lublin, Poland-Nowy Sacz, Dumaguete City Philippines ,Abu-Dabi - UAE, Kirghizstan-Bishkek.
The group has attended 5 international children folk dance competitions and won the first prize in each of them;
• held by UNESCO-CIOFF in Romania, in 2000, First Prize in Technical Dance and Choreography
• held by the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine in Kiev, in 2006, First Prize and the
Special Prize
• held by the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine in Kiev, in 2008, First Prize
• Belarus International Folk Dance and Music Festival and Competition, in 2012,
Grand Prize
• Belarus International Folk Dance and Music Festival Competition 2017 First Prize.
Rhythm&Dance Children and Youth Art Center as Hacettepe University Children and Youth Folk Dance Group was awarded by CIOFF Türkiye in 2016 and 2018 as THE BEST CHILDREN FOLK DANCE GROUP IN TÜRKİYE and in 2018 also is awarded as THE BEST ADULT FOLK DANCE GROUP IN TÜRKİYE.