Nesrin Topkapı (born Nesrin Gökkaya; 1951) is a Turkish belly dancer. She is widely known as the first belly dancer to perform on TRT, Turkey’s national television broadcaster, marking a cultural milestone in the 1980s.

Early life

Topkapı was born in

Akhisar Akhisar () is a municipality and district of Manisa Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,645 km2, and its population is 177,419 (2022). It is the site of the ancient city of Thyatira. With archaeological findings that are proving settlements go ...

Manisa Province Manisa Province () is a Provinces of Turkey, province and Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, metropolitan municipality in western Turkey. Its area is 13,339 km2, and its population is 1,468,279 (2022). Its neighboring provinces are İzmi ...

. Her mother, Rabia Gökkaya, was also a dancer, and taught her the art of belly dance from a young age. She also received basic ballet training. At age six, she performed on stage in a casino in

Adana Adana is a large city in southern Turkey. The city is situated on the Seyhan River, inland from the northeastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. It is the administrative seat of the Adana Province, Adana province, and has a population of 1 81 ...

, but the performance caused controversy due to her age, and the venue was shut down by authorities. She lost her father when she was 15 and worked in various jobs to support her family. In 1968, she moved to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and began performing as a belly dancer in nightclubs under the stage name "Nesrin Topkapı".

Career

Returning to Turkey in 1974, she performed at the Maksim Casino in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

during a gala in honor of the Shah of Iran,

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (26 October 1919 – 27 July 1980) was the last List of monarchs of Iran, Shah of Iran, ruling from 1941 to 1979. He succeeded his father Reza Shah and ruled the Imperial State of Iran until he was overthrown by the ...

. She quickly became one of Turkey’s most sought-after belly dancers of the 1970s, alongside names like Tülay Karaca and Seher Şeniz. In 1980, she became the first belly dancer to appear live on TRT during a New Year’s Eve broadcast. She continued to perform in the 1981 and 1982 New Year specials. In 1984, she refused to participate in the program, reportedly declining to share the stage with less-experienced dancers.

Style

Topkapı's style blended classical Turkish “oryantal” technique with influences from ballet. She was known for her elegant stage presence, refined isolations, soft arm movements, and expressive facial control. Her costumes reflected the glamorous cabaret era of the 1970s, often featuring richly beaded bras, high-slit skirts, and flowing veils.

Teaching and legacy

After retiring from professional performance, she became a mentor to many artists. She taught belly dance to well-known performers such as

Hadise Hadise Açıkgöz (born 21 October 1985) hadisemusic.com is a Belgian-born Turkish singer, songwriter, dancer and television personality. Born and raised in Belgium, her family is of Lezgins, Lezgin-Kumyks, Kumyk origin who settled in Sivas Pr ...

Sertab Erener Sertab Erener (born 4 December 1964) is a Turkish singer, songwriter and composer. With her coloratura soprano voice, she started working as a backing vocalist for Sezen Aksu, and with Aksu's help she released her first studio album in the 1990s ...

Nurgül Yeşilçay Nurgül Yeşilçay (born 26 March 1976) is a Turkish actress. Biography Nurgül Yeşilçay was born in Afyonkarahisar in 1976. She studied drama at the State Conservatoire of Anadolu University in Eskişehir. Since her graduation, she has perfor ...

, and

Nil Karaibrahimgil Ferhan Nil Karaibrahimgil (born 17 October 1976) is a Turkish singer and songwriter, mostly noted for her distinct lyrics. Biography Nil's passion and admiration for music stems from her father Suavi Karaibrahimgil, who is also a musician alth ...

. She also gave lessons at dance academies in Istanbul and remained active in cultural discussions around the legitimacy of belly dance in Turkish performing arts.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Topkapi, Nesrin 1951 births Living people Turkish female dancers Turkish belly dancers People from Akhisar 20th-century dancers 20th-century Turkish people 20th-century Turkish women