Cristina Umaña

Mustafa Erdoğan was born in Hakkari, Turkey in 1965. He graduated from Hacettepe University's Philosophy Department and Gazi University's Public Administration Department. During his student years, he worked in folk dance groups, participating in various festivals and competitions in Turkey and abroad. In 1985, he founded the Gazi University Folk Dance Group, performing folk dances from Edirne, Kırklareli, Artvin, Van, Bitlis, Hakkari, Gaziantep, Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, Muğla, and Aydın. From 1999-2000, he worked as a choreographer at the Istanbul-Gül Düşündürü Theater and the Beşiktaş Culture Center. Starting in 1997, he began working on folk dances at Bilkent University, conducting research and choreography. In 1999, he founded Turkey's first private dance troupe, Sultans of the Dance, which later became Anadolu Ateşi. Under the supervision of his brother, Yılmaz Erdoğan, Anadolu Ateşi introduced the rich culture of Anatolia to the world through dance. A team of 90 young dancers, selected through auditions, brought Anadolu Ateşi to life through intensive and dedicated work. After its first performance on May 3, 2001, Anadolu Ateşi reached over 6 million viewers domestically and internationally in countries including Israel, China, Japan, Lebanon, Qatar, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Lebanon, Jordan, Romania, and Cyprus. Erdoğan also served as the Deputy Secretary-General at the Association of Contemporary Journalists, and worked as the Ankara representative for Demokrasi Gazetesi and Söz Dergisi, and as a political party reporter and freelance travel writer for Turkish Daily News. Mustafa Erdoğan married the famous singer Gülben Ergen on September 5, 2004, and they have a son, Atlas, born on January 18, 2007.