The ballet adventure of little Selin, who loves to dance, started with her admission to municipal conservatory in Kocaeli. Continuing both ballet and piano training with the Royal Academy Of Dance method in the following years, Selin successfully completed the RAD Intermediate level at the age of 15. She became an approved ballet and piano instructor in Turkey.
Having succeeded in the central high school entrance exam in Turkey, she got admission to Istanbul Erkek Lisesi. Her passion for dance since childhood turned into a goal by moving to Istanbul for starting high school. While continuing her secondary education at Istanbul Erkek Lisesi, she also started a more professional ballet training at PERA Fine Arts in Istanbul, where she was trained with the Vaganova method and prepared for the entrance examinations of the ballet conservatories abroad for higher education. During this time she had opportunity to work with Watmora Casey, Artistic Director of Faubourg Ballet Theater; Assoc. Dr. Kalina Bogoeva, Director of Sofia National Academy of Music - Ballet Department and Mimar Sinan Univ. Res. Asst. Gökçe Sönmemiş.
After successful completion of the Abitur program at Istanbul Erkek Lisesi, she was awarded the German high school diploma, ABITUR ("certificate of general qualification for university entrance").
Later, she attended Munich International Ballet School as a guest student, where she worked with Bayerisches Staatsballett soloist dancers. She attended ballet and contemporary dance intensive training programs of Palucca University, Girne American University and Ankara University ADA Community. During these programs she worked with Palucca Univ. R. Prof. Jason Beechey, Prof. Anke Glasow, the lecturers of Ankara Univ. State Conserv. and Ankara MDT (Modern Dance Community) dancers.
She discovered the GYROTONIC® Method for herself, when she was suffering from an ankle injury and found it to be an invaluable healing and rehab tool for her injury and also for her spine-related chronic pains. Upon the completion of the two-year GYROTONIC® Teacher Training Program, she became a licensed GYROTONIC Trainer. After her ankle operations she was told to take a break from her professional ballet training. Hereupon she started her studies in German Philology and Theater Studies at Freie University Berlin.
Meanwhile she teached stretching and conditioning classes and worked as an choreography assistant at Theater 28 Berlin. Thanks to her studies in the field of theater science and theatrical practices, she discovered her interest in theater and strengthened her focus on musical theater. At times she was in Turkey, she took acting classes at FADE Stage Ankara and SAKM Ankara. Later, she was admitted to intensive acting program of American Academy Of Dramatic Arts and attended the program at AADA New York Campus, where she worked with Susan Pilar, Lester Shane and Aimee Rials.
Having successfully completed Child Pilates and Pregnancy Pilates Instructor Trainings of the European Fitness and Wellness Academy, she became entitled to work in this field. Taking part in several dance photography projects, such as Ballerina Project Berlin, she returned to dance life little by little.
At that time, she cooperated with the costume manufacturers in Turkey in order to provide costumes and accessories required for the dance photography projects in Germany due to the lack of affordable and high quality products in this area in the German market. During these projects and cooperations, she realized the desire of the manufacturers in Turkey to expand abroad and also the search of consumers in Germany for affordable and high quality ballet and dancewear products.
Picta's seeds as an enterprise idea were sown just at this point. She received positive feedback from ballet schools in Germany, as she brought them some samples manufactured in Turkey and decided that Picta should not remain as an idea.
Also the Turkish market in dancewear was based more on imported budget exceeding products. Picta’s innovative approach leaded to high quality and affordable products made of high performance materials providing high elasticity, softness, lasting shape and moisture wicking properties, which are dancers’ common needs. By combining the ongoing passion of dance and stage with the needs of dance and stage enthusiasts, Selin, as a young woman entrepreneur, aims to give everyone access to arts regardless of their conditions and to become a light on their path.
