ABOUT
Yeliz Pazar, also known as Yeliz Manuka, is a Dancer, Choreographer, Curator, Host and Dance Teacher from Düsseldorf.
With her roots in dance styles such as Waacking, Hip Hop, Breaking, House, Popping and Locking, she continuously works to increase the visibility of these styles, particularly in the context of theater performances and to create representation for urban dance cultures and underrepresented artists.
She is a co-founder of the dance collective nutrospektif, which was established in 2012 and invited as FACTORY ARTISTS by tanzhaus nrw (Düsseldorf/ Germany), under the direction of Bettina Masuch, in 2020.
During her time as Factory Artist at tanzhaus nrw, Yeliz and her collective were able to create numerous opportunities for exchanges, building Bridges and establish platforms for the community in North Rhine-Westphalia. For example, the "Urbanes Netzwerktreffen" was created, where urban dance artists, as well as institutions, production houses, cultural organizations, and others, can get to know each other, exchange ideas, and discuss the structures that urban dance arts need.
In collaboration with Bahar Gökten from the collective, they curated the dance theater festival “MOVING CONCRETE” with tanzhaus nrw. This five-day festival is dedicated to urban dance cultures in a stage context. International performances were invited, as well as short pieces from across Germany to increase visibility.
As part of “Step by Step,” a co-production of Ballett am Rhein and tanzhaus nrw, they choreographed and performed two short pieces, “ocean notion” and “the weirdness is consistent.” They created a partial choreography for “The Nutcracker” at the Opera am Rhein and were also invited by the Stadt:kollektiv for a one-month dance residency at the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus.
Yeliz started with Hip Hop in 2000 and has been at tanzhaus nrw since 2002. There, she received dance and choreography training from Nadia Espiritou in different dancestyles and at the international battles at tanzhaus nrw, organized by Takao Baba, Yeliz learned from international dancers (pioneers) in the styles mentioned before.
Since 2008, Yeliz has been part of the first generation of Waacking dancers in Germany.
*Waacking is a dance style that originated in the disco era of the early 1970s within the Afro-Latinx LGBTQ American community in Los Angeles. Queer people experienced exclusion and discrimination in society and had to hide their identities. In gay clubs, however, they could be themselves. Thus, Waacking became an expressive dance against oppression. Typical elements include rotating arm movements, poses, and an emphasis on expressiveness, all connected to disco music.
In 2012, Archie Burnett, one of the pioneers of Waacking from the USA, appointed Yeliz to take responsibility and develop the Waacking community in Germany. As a result, Yeliz Pazar initially organized regular training sessions and jam sessions and offered and organized workshops throughout Germany. Her Waacking classes at tanzhaus nrw, which she has been running since 2018, are the only Waacking classes offered in North Rhine-Westphalia. In 2018, she founded the MANUKAS, a Waacking Crew, to train the next generation. That same year, she independently organized "THE WAACK OFF" at tanzhaus nrw, the first Festival of the genre in Germany, featuring numerous international guests, to promote access to Waacking culture through exchange and education.
Yeliz is now considered a Pioneer of Waacking in Germany and is invited as a Judge and give workshops throughout Europe, primarily due to her unique style. In 2024, she choreographed the first "Waacking" dance theater piece in Germany, a co-production with tanzhaus nrw, funded by the Performing Arts Fund, the NRW State Office for Independent Performing Arts, and the Düsseldorf Cultural Office. Also in 2024, Yeliz revived her International Waacking Festival, "The Waack Off-Festival," after a five-year break, thanks to funding from Soziokultur-nrw.
In 2025 Yeliz won the development Award/ Prize for performing Arts In Düsseldorf, Germany.
Her vision is not only to create more dance theater productions with diverse urban dance styles and foster the development of the urban dance scene, but also to create equitable dance theater featuring underrepresented dance cultures, people, and bodies. In her Pioneer work within these dance cultures, in her community work, in her artistic identity and vision, and also with her background as a POC (Person of Color), it is fundamental for Yeliz Pazar to empower and unite people, especially to see and bring to the stage bodies and cultures that reflect society, in order to advance dialogue in the dance landscape.
“Representation Matters”