Digital Dervish + Flamenco Sonic

Kaz Rahman is a Visual Artist and Filmmaker whose work has played in film festivals and venues such as Anthology Film Archives (New York City), National Film Board of Canada (Toronto), India Habitat Centre (New Delhi), Salar Jung Museum (Hyderabad), Andy Warhol Museum (Pittsburgh), The San Jose Museum of Art (California), Bogazici Film Festival (Istanbul), SUFICINE Festival (Konya) and broadcast on TV24 (Turkey) and has been featured in publications such as The Times of India, The Hindu, The New Indian Express (India), Daily Sabah and Star Gazette (Turkey). His style explores themes such as time, memory and narrative dreams as well as the convergence of fiction/documentary. Rahman has an MFA in Media Arts (writing/directing) from City College (CUNY), New York City and has taught at universities and colleges in Hyderabad, Pittsburgh, Istanbul, Plymouth and Canterbury (UK).

Mayez Rahman is a student at Lipson Co-operative Academy in Plymouth. He has lived in both Pittsburgh, USA and Istanbul, Turkey where he first took encountered the traditions of the Whirling Dervishes. His interests include designing video games and all aspects of computer programming.

Seyit Sercan Çelik is a contemporary Dervish from Istanbul who began performing Turkish Folkloric dance when he was 9. He is also grounded in the historical sacred traditions and rituals of the Turkish Mevlevi which he has been performing over the last decade. His own interpretations both with groups and solo have been performed extensively in Turkey, Eastern Europe, Russia and the Balkans, as well as Spain, Japan, India, Malaysia, and Bangladesh. He has performed as a dancer in the opening and closing ceremonies of several major organisations through the International Olympic committee of Turkey. Çelik graduated from Sakarya University State Conservatory (Turkish Folk Dance) in 2014 and has conducted workshops in universities and conservatories in Turkey. This is his first performance in North America.

Mercedes Romero is a professional Flamenco dancer, teacher and choreographer. She graduated from the Conservatory of Alicante, Spain (Spanish Dance and Flamenco and Classical Ballet). She has performed and taught for over 25 years in Spain, Mexico, France, Italy and England with various dance companies such as Ballet Teatro Español de Rafael Aguilar, Ballet Español y Flamenco Martin Vargas, Ballet de Carmen Mota, Ballet titular Teatro de la Zarzuela and Teatro de la Maestranza. She is based in Plymouth and has performed at venues throughout the region with her group Flamenco Vivo as well as  Flamenco Amigos.

Carolina Loyola-Garcia is a multidisciplinary artist, filmmaker and performer. She works primarily in media arts, including video art and installation, video design for theater, documentary and digital photography. She produced and directed the documentary film Sobre las Olas: A story of Flamenco in the U.S. (2013), which offers a comprehensive view of the art of flamenco in the United States. She received her MFA from Carnegie Mellon University and is Professor of Media Arts at Robert Morris University. As a performer she has worked in theater productions, dance ensembles and as a flamenco artist. Loyola-Garcia has worked with Quantum Theatre in the productions of The Red Shoes (2007), Maria de Buenos Aires (2011), Ainadamar (2012), Mnemonic (2013), and Looking for Violeta (2019) as well as Attack Theater’s production of the Rube Goldberg Variations (2019). She is also lead dancer and singer with the ensemble Alba Flamenca and performs all through Western Pennsylvania, Eastern Ohio and Western NY.

Pepa Sanz is a versatile dancer and choreographer who has worked with directors and artists of various styles and discipline and has been collaborating for more than two decades in pioneering, audacious and innovative projects in Spanish Dance and Flamenco. Her most outstanding pieces have been presented at festivals such as Bangkok International Dance Festival (Thailand), Festival de Artes Escénicas Contemporáneas El Cruce (Argentina), Festival Escenarios del Mundo (Ecuador), Quinzena de Dança de Almada (Portugal) and Black Box International Theater and Dance Festival (Bulgaria). She has been awarded the UNESCO Aschberg Bursary and several of her choreographies have won the Choreographic Contest of Madrid. She recently received the Award for Best Direction with dancer/choreographer and collaborator José Merino for the play Bendita Rutina at the XVII Festival de Teatro y Danza Independiente de Santander, INDIFEST 2022 in Spain.

Barış Çelik’s work in visual effects and as a colourist reflects his interest in graphic design and illustration. He has a BA in Cinema from Istanbul Sehir University and his work has been part of award-winning short films both within Turkey and internationally. He is currently Video Editor at Bonte Digital (Istanbul) and Charminar Films (Canada/UK) and is associate lecturer in film editing/montage at Istanbul Medipol University.