Betsy Torenbos (Annen, 1969) is a dancer, choreographer, director and theater maker. She made a name for herself with projects in which she integrates oral history into her performances. For Anno Turkije she interviewed six ‘old-comers’ from the Northern Netherlands on their native soil in Turkey. From these interviews she made a film that was shown at Anno Turkey on two screens. In it, the Turkish men talk about death, their earliest memories, their first love, violence, life in the Netherlands and Turkey.
During the screening, the women prepare Turkish food, while the men silently accompany the film footage with simple choreography.
Personal histories tell a different story than the history books.