IDT+ nourishing from Anatolia’s rich historical and cultural multiplicity is dedicated to develop multidisciplinary projects for the national and international art atmosphere. Founders and the creative team Geyvan McMillen, Dilara Akay, Sernaz Demirel and Tan Temel search their original artistic expressions grounding on their social and cultural realities. Artistic director, Geyvan McMillen created many projects and performed her works in Turkey, England, Germany, Holland, Italy and USA. In 35 years of Turkish modern dance scene, she contributed as a pioneer working as a resident choreographer in National State Opera and Ballet, as well as founded and directed the Yildiz Technical University Modern Dance Department.

IDT+ had performed under the name CRR Dance Theatre during 2003-2005 and participated in Chicago International Dance Festival, Sarajevo International Winter Festival and International Bodrum Ballet Festival. In 2005, company name has changed to Istanbul Dance Theatre and IDT+ was invited to Venice Biennale’s 3. Dance Symposium. Selected performances of IDT+ are; Venice Biennale’s 4. International Dance Festival (2006); Chicago International Dance Festival (2006 & 2007); Istanbul Dance Festival (2007); 16.Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Art's International Theatre Festival (2008); and Macau Cultural Center “Blackbox Series” Macau, China (2009); also IDT+ has taught their own dance technique and composition technique in Venice Biennale’s Master Class Project of Arsenale della Danza (2009 and 2010).

Currently, IDT+ working in an interdisciplinary level by means of making projects with other artists and concentrating on choreography and video installation. In addition, IDT+ is developing a dance technique in which the creative process is improvised through the dancers’ unique interpretations and at the end; the whole performance becomes a multidisciplinary dance installation.

IDT+’s technique

In IDT+’s unique technique is focusing on two different kinetic ideas from their culture by means of creating similar experiences in the training technique and creative process.

First idea is the “Sufi Whirling”; that is a physically active meditation which originated among Sufis, and which is still practiced by the Sufi Dervishes of the Mevlevi order. In the beginning of the workshop conceptual preparation is started by asking the question “Who am I?” and continue the questioning by practicing “Whirling Dervishes”’ forceless, spiritual and meditative turning technique. The aim is to find one’s own body language and endless movement possibilities that only belongs to the individual in one’s deep consciousness. Besides the meditative dimension of the “Sufi Whirling”; there is also a physical reality in it which makes the heart in the center of the existence and all spinning around it. By using this information each dancer is invited to devise a unique movement series which is useful as a tool for solving the problem of which move to make next during a creative process. Then, the second kinetic idea is the “Turkish Oil Wrestling”. In the working process dancers are discovering the strength, force and speed of “Turkish Oil Wrestling” and exercising to apply this into the partnering technique.

By means of embracing these concepts, the dancers are encouraged to put all their efforts together for a better creation of inspiration and strengthened development of solo dance and/or partnering.