A folkloristic analysis on the figure of gyration in the Turkish folk dances

Anrienne L. Kaeppler mentioned that dance composes a cultural form by using the human body in time and place and emphasized that it is a crucial fact that performing the dance is as important as this cultural form as well in her article called ?The Dance?. The writer suggested that dance has a grammer like a language highlighting that figures of dance represent a symbol, thus, the figures of dance are able to be analysed. This study entitled ? A Folkloristic Analysis on the Figure of Gyration in the Turkish Folk Dances? is restricted to motions of gyration of sinsin dances in the form of sema, semah, and halay. In the study, the decipherability of ceremony, conjuration, mythology, cosmology, initiation, system of belief, and cultural form within sinsin dances in the form of sema, semah, and halay was investigated via the dance. In this way, some predictions were made by explicating the meaning which the figure of gyration has in dance, and the symbolic meaning which the ultimate motion of gyration has was attempted to be deciphered.First of all, in the study, concepts of ceremony and conjuration were considered at length by getting to the bottom of the dance; it was arrived at evaluations as to what kind of an expression mitology and cosmology are able to have in dance; the figure of gyration was compared with the consept of initiation. It was argued with exeamples how Anatolian and Islamic cultures shaped the Turkish Folk Dances. In the framework of all these formations, questions were asked as to how the cultural memory is used in these dances by attempting to make studies about the sinsin dances in the form of sema, semah, and halay in terms of the culture and belief.This study is an initial study to the decipherability of figures of Turkish Folk Dances.Key Words: 1. Dance, 2. Gyration, 3. Symbol, 4. Culture, 5. MemorySinsin: A folk dance which young boys perform around the fire accompaniedby drum and hornSema: Whirling dance performed by the Meslevi dervishesSemah: A traditional dance in Alevism