Meriç Sümen

Balerin

Eğitim
Ankara State Conservatory

Ballerina. She was born in 1943 in Edirne. Meriç Sümen (Kanan) started to work at Ankara State Opera and Ballet as an artist after having finished the Ballet Department of Ankara State Conservatory (1961). During her education she went to London Royal School (1960). In 1965 she played a role in “Giselle” in Sophia State Ballet as a guest ballerina. In 1972, 1979 and 1982 she played the role of “Giselle” in Moscow Bolshoi Ballet and became the first foreign “prima ballerina” to play the leading role in the history of Bolshoi Ballet. In addition, she performed in Leningrad, Kiev, Minsk, Riga and Odessa as the guest ballerina. Afterwards, she got on the stage in countries such as Poland, Japan, Denmark and England.

Sümen gave ballet lectures for a month in Copenhagen Ballet in 1973. In 1976, she performed in the Premiere of 1st World Ballet Competition in Tokyo as a “Honor Guest”. She represented Turkey two times in international ballet competitions (1980 and 1981) as a member of the jury. Between the years 1976 and 1986 she served in General Directorate of Ankara State Opera and Ballet and between the years 1986 and 1989 and also 2000 and 2002 she served in the Directorate of Istanbul State Opera and Ballet as a dancer, Chief Choreographer and Ballet Art Director. Aside from Ankara and Istanbul State Opera and Ballets, she performed in England, Germany, Denmark, Italy, Russia, US, Holland, Poland, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Japan, Egypt, Pakistan, Tunis, Algeria and Cyprus as a guest dancer.

In 1983-84 she went to Moscow and finished the Teaching Department of Bolshoi Dance Academy and received a diploma of “Ballet Teacher”. Between the years 1989 and 1992 she lectured at Mimar Sinan University Istanbul State Conservatory. Sümen served as a jury member in Moscow Ballet Competitions (in 1981 and 1985), in Varna International Ballet Competitions, which have been organized since 1980, and Osaka/Tokyo World Ballet competitions in 1984, 1987, 1991 and 1995. In June 1998, she gave classical ballet lectures as a Guest Lecturer at Texas-Ballet Theater in Dallas.

Sümen, who is the first and only person to ever receive the title of the State Artist of the Turkish Republic in the ballet branch, was appointed as the Director and Art Director of Istanbul State Opera and Ballet in June 2005 while she had been serving as the Chief Dancer and Répétiteur in Istanbul State Opera and Ballet. On July 5th, 2005, she was appointed as the General Director of Ankara State Opera and Ballet. Sümen, who is married and has a child, retired at the age of 62.

 During her carrier in ballet Meriç Sümen has performed as the prima ballerina in many plays such as Kuğu Gölü, Giselle, Fındıkkıran, Uyuyan Güzel, Romeo ve Jülyet, Don Kişot, Şımarık Kız, Judith, Ferhat ile Şirin, Bahçesaray Çeşmesi, Şehrazat, Le Sylphide, Çeşmebaşı, Pagodalar Prensi, Güzel ve Canavar, Üç Kızkardeş, Orpheus, Kanlı Düğün, Pas De Quatre, Pembe Kadın, La Bayadere, Paquita, Sylvia, Faust, Hançerli Hanım, Fantastik Senfoni, Petruşka, Le Spectre de la Rose, Esmeralda, Kamelyalı Kadın, Antonius and Cleopatra. With the sponsorship of Halk Sigorta, after many years she got on the stage in the play “Afife”, which was choreographed by Beyhan Murphy, and performed modern and improvisational techniques unlike the classical ballet that she was used to.

Sümen received the first prizes and honor awards many times in national and international areas. In 1972, she was selected as the “Artist of the Year” by Turkish Women’s Association. In 1973, in Copenhagen, the capital city of Denmark and in 1975 in Warsaw she won the “Best Dancer” awards in international competitions. In 1981 she received the title of T.R. State Artist. In February 1998, because of the 50th Anniversary of Foundation of Turkish Ballet and because of her contributions to the ballet as a dancer and instructor she received two “Special Awards” from Opera and Ballet Employees Foundation (TOBAV).

There is a book called Dansa Aşık Bir Kuğu (2010), which is about the prima ballerina Meriç Sümen, who is the first and only state artist in ballet branch of art in Turkey. 

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