Staging Turkishness: Choreographers And The Paradoxes Of Identity Politics In Socialist Bulgaria (1944–1989)

This article examines how cultural policy in socialist Bulgaria (1944-1989) shaped the emergence of professional Turkish choreography, focusing on four choreographers whose work was central to its formation. The careers of the Bulgarians Yordan (Dancho) Nikolov and Anichka Petrova, the Romani Ibrahim Ahmedov, and the Armenian Sirvart Chilingiryan illuminate the complex interplay between ideology, ethnicity, and artistic practice, while all four were of non-Turkish origin. By analyzing their biographies, repertoire choices, and choreographic strategies, the article explores how state patronage both enabled and channeled the expression of Turkish cultural forms through performances of the State Turkish Estrada (Variety) Theatres. It argues that the choreographers’ creative contributions exemplify the paradoxes of socialist cultural production: a system that imposed ideological limits while simultaneously fostering artistic innovation and a measure of cross-cultural exchange. The study situates these cases within a broader conceptual framework centered on the notion of identity politics and an identity formula – a state-imposed model linking nationality, ethnicity, and culture – through which the socialist state sought to define and regulate the identity of the Turkish community.