Turkish dance and pageantry at Brooklyn Borough Hall

May 18, 2012 By Mary Frost Brooklyn Daily Eagle

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Brooklyn = ‘Turkish Capital of America’

Cries of “La-la-la-la-la-la!” echoed out over Borough Hall Plaza Thursday evening, drawing an audience of curious onlookers from surrounding Downtown Brooklyn to the annual Turkish Cultural Celebration.

With Borough President Marty Markowitz, Turkish Consul General M. Levent Biligen and head imam of Istanbul Hakan Ozdemir presiding, hundreds of celebrants gathered to enjoy traditional Turkish food, music, costume and dance.
Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz (left) with Istanbulâ€™s head Imam Hakan Ozdemir. Photo by Mary Frost
The crescent and star of a giant, red Turkish flag bedecked Borough Hall and party-goers sat on the steps to applaud the dramatic pageantry and stirring drumbeat of the Ottoman Military Band, along with the dancing of the Ankara Greater Municipality Folk Dance Group and the New York Gypsy All-Stars.
Brooklyn is home to the country’s largest population of Turks, BP Markowitz said — making Brooklyn “the Turkish capital of America.”

Cries of â€œLa-la-la-la-la-la!â€ echoed out over Borough Hall Plaza Thursday at the annual Turkish Cultural Celebration. Shown: the dramatic pageantry of the Ottoman Military Band. Photo by Mary Frost