Choreographer and dancer Deniz Erkan Sancak becomes the first Turk to make Dance Magazine's "25 to Watch in 2026" list!

The "25 to Watch" list, published annually by Dance Magazine, one of the most important professional publications in the dance world, makes predictions about the best dancers, choreographers, directors, new dance companies, and the direction in which the art world is evolving globally.

Published every year in the magazine's January issue, "25 to Watch" is determined not only by technical skill but also by factors such as creativity, originality, stage presence, potential, and artistic orientation.

The magazine's 2026 list included the following remarks about Sancak:

“Equipped with intellectual curiosity, physical receptivity, and a striking stage presence, Deniz Erkan Sancak, a highly versatile powerhouse, has not yet reached the limits of his potential. The 25-year-old freelance artist living in New York inhabits many movement worlds with a mesmerizing naturalness: the kinetic pyrotechnics of Stephen Petronio, the fluid formalism of Douglas Dunn, the athletic challenges of Liz Gerring, the imaginative characters of Christopher Williams. Sancak says, ‘The important thing is to understand the choreographer's imagination. I can change, I can mold myself. Everything is a collaboration.’”

Growing up in an artistic family in Ankara, Turkey, Sancak had a childhood filled with visual arts, music, theater, and movement. In his late teens, he took an unconventional step by transitioning from competitive Latin ballroom dancing to ballet and modern dance training with his teacher and mentor Binnaz Dorkip. Expanding his education at the State University of New York at Purchase College, Sancak received his bachelor's degree in dance in 2022. Currently, in addition to gracing stages in the city center, he is spending his second season with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet and is exploring his creative voice while maintaining his connections with the dance community in Turkey. “I want to do everything life brings me,” he says. “I can't stop moving.”

WHO IS DENIZ ERKAN SANCAK?

He completed his university education at the New York Conservatory of Dance, Purchase College, SUNY, where he attended on a scholarship. At the conservatory, he received training in many techniques, primarily Cunningham, Graham, Limon, Counter, Gaga, Alexander, Pilates, Contact Improvisation, composition, and classical ballet.

While still a student, he took lead roles in Anna Sokolow’s “Dreams,” Martha Graham’s “Appalachian Spring” and “Diversions of Angels,” and performed as a soloist in cult repertoires such as Merce Cunningham’s “Interscape” and “Scenario.”

He has performed in works by contemporary choreographers such as Ana Maria Lucacia, Jennele Figgins, Bettijane Sills, and Eve Chan.

In his final year of study, he was accepted as an intern at the Peridance Contemporary Dance Company. There, he worked on the choreographies of Igal Perry and Yue Yin.

He graduated from Purchase College, SUNY with honors in 2022 and worked as a company member at Ballet Nouveau Colorado (Wonderbound) the same year.

In the summer of 2023, he transitioned to the Stephen Petronio Company. With the same company, he performed at the world-renowned Jacob’s Pillow in the summer of 2025.

He has served as a choreographer and instructor at the Burklyn Ballet Theatre.

Workshops he has attended include those at the Rambert Company (Director Benoit Swan Pouffer), Art of Marseille (Director William Forsythe), and the Yue Yin Dance Company.

He continues to perform in award-winning contemporary plays with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet company and in various projects including Christopher Williams Dances, Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Liz Gerring Dance, and the Merce Cunningham Trust.

He also works as a guest artist with Mark Morris Dance Group and Trisha Brown Dance Company, which are among New York's prestigious modern and post-modern companies.

( Image taken from Deniz Erkan Sancak's Instagram page. )

News Source: 12punto