After participating in concerts in Kahramanmaras, Turkey on May 16-17, the Khazar University musical collective and dance ensembles traveled to Giresun, Turkey for the 39^th International Aksu Festival. Khazar University performers were representing Azerbaijan for the first time in the Aksu Festival upon the invitation of the Giresun Executive Body.

The Khazar University contingent was the largest group of performers participating in the Festival. Other participants hailed from Georgia, Macedonia, Turkey, Slovakia, and Cyprus. On May 18, the delegation arrived in Giresun, where Murat Akin, representative of the Giresun Executive Body, met them. The group was also guided in Giresun by Istiklal Ay, Efli Atli, and Eftal Ozdemir.

On May 19 at 18:00, the Festival began with a parade along the main street of Giresun. The Khazar University, with the dance ensemble in national dress, marched in the parade shouting “Azerbaijan-Turkey” and “Martyrs don’t die; homeland is not divided!” After the parade, dinner was served to the participants.

In the morning of May 20, a ceremony was held to lay a wreath at the Ataturk statue in front of the Giresun Executive Administration. Then Kerim Aksu, Head of Giresun Executive Body, made a speech to greet the visitors and officially begin the Festival.

Khazar University was the final act to perform on stage on the first day of the festival. After the first dance performance by the Khazar ensemble, performers gave interviews for the media. The festival was covered by Channel 24, Channel G (Giresun), Mavi Karadeniz, and Channel A TV stations.

On the same day, the second part of the festival included performances at Giresun Fortress, a recreational park considered the peak of Giresun. With the support of dance instructors Telman Aliyev and Sabina Ismayilova as well as Zulfiyya Sadigova, musical director of the program, the Khazar dance ensembles performed a dance that involved the audience and caught the attention of local TV channel who invited them to perform on a life broadcast several days later. Unfortunately, their participation was prevented by their travel schedule.

On May 21, 4 members from each participating group visited Kerim Aksu at the Giresun Executive Administration. Khazar representatives thanked him for organizing the festival and presented a gift on behalf of the university.

Then the dance ensemble participated in a final event on the Ataturk Square. The boys’ and girls’ dance ensembles performed “Chobalar,” “Qazakh,” “Uzbek,” “Tello” and “Yalli.” They were asked for several encores, in which they repeatedly performed the “Gaytaghi” dance and a solo dance by Sabina Ismayilova accompanied by “Sari Gelin” performed by Musa Abdulla. The performers were asked to take many pictures with audience members.

In the evening, the delegation thanked their guides and returned by bus to Baku.

Alovsat Amirbeyli

Giresun-Baku

18-22 May 2016