Vedat E GURSOYLU
Vedat E. Gursoylu began playing the Baglama/Saz(Turkish String Instrument) at age six and performed at many school concerts during his elementary and secondary school career. Vedat began folk dancing with a childhood friend in his early teens and they danced together in their hometown of Samsun at weddings and folk parties.
In High School Vedat joined the Anatolian Folklore Foundation-Samsun Dance Group and started to more formally learn Turkish Folk Dances. After nine months of training, he joined with the Anatolian Folklore Foundation-Samsun Dance Group to Hungary and helped his dance group win second place among all Folk Dance Groups. After this initial win in Hungry, his dance group competed in many national and international Folk Dancing Festivals in Turkey, Australia, Yugoslavia, and Austria. Vedat performed all over Turkey as one of Turkey's best cultural folklore activities in dance and music, performed for several of Turkey's presidents, and has received several letters of honor from the Anatolia Folklore Foundation.
After high school Vedat attended the Istanbul Technical University-Turkish Musical State of Conservatory, one of the best Turkish Musical Schools, in the "Turkish Folk Dance Department." At the Conservatory Vedat learned more about Turkey's regional folk dances, traditional Turkish Folk Music and Traditional Music, and was trained in advanced baglama. Vedat became acquainted with and took classes from many talented dance instructors and musicians. During college Vedat also taught folk dancing in Istanbul's elementary and secondary schools, danced with the Anatolian Folklore Foundation-Istanbul Group, and became proficient in Turkish Folk Drums and Zurna(another Turkish Folk Instrument).
After college Vedat began dancing with professional dance and music groups, attended many International and National Dance Festivals in Turkey, Europa and Middle East Countries and worked with the Turkish National Television channel's dance shows. His biggest accomplishment was working for the Turkish Folk Nights with the some of the top Istanbul Show Companies to put together entertainment events for visitors to Turkey.
Vedat came to the United States in 1995 for a year and came back to live here permanently in 1997. In 1995 and 1997, he performed as part of the AMAN international Folk Dance and Music Company as
both a dancer and a musician. He has performed for several shows in California including at the Hollywood Bowl and Thousand Oaks with the AMAN group. Vedat has also conducted many Turkish Folk Dance and Music workshop and shows throughout the United States, taught Baglama to International Musicians, performed at shows at various US Universities,
and has been a spokesmen for Turkish Music/Dance and Culture.
Vedat has also worked with several dance troupes in California including the Ya Amar Dance Troupe and loves to introduce his Culture to others. He currently lives in Los Angeles/San Pedro and has assembled his own Anatolian Folk Dance and Music Ensemble in Los Angeles. As he likes to tell people, this group is like the mosaic of the Anatolia and in that it includes Turkish, Armenian, Greek, American and other ethnic musicians and dancers. He currently performs with this group and by himself at private and public performances all over the USA.
