Dear list, I'm writing to ask that no one on this list support any of Burak Ozkosem's events. I am very sorry to have to do this, but I've run out of options. Andres Amarilla and I taught at Burak's TangoJoven festival in early July 2007 and we still have not been paid, although we fulfilled all the terms of our agreement. Burak was obviously pleased with our work as he immediately invited us back to teach at the next TangoJoven festival.
Not only did we dedicate 5 days of work to Burak's festival, but we put out money up front for our plane tickets--money that we still have not been reimbursed 9 months later. The initial check that Burak gave us bounced and despite at least 5 requests for payment, we have received nothing. More than 2 months ago, I emailed Burak to let him know that we were running out of patience and would be forced to make our problem public through a tango-L post if we did not receive prompt payment. However, at this point, nearly 9 months after the end of the festival, we still have not received any payment. I am very concerned because Burak has some ambitious plans as an organizer in the next few months--another tango festival, this time featuring Julio & Corina and Tanghetto, as well as workshops with Fabian & Carolina. If he truly doesn't have the money to pay us, as he claims, it seems very likely that he will not have the funds to fulfil his obligations to these other performers and teachers. And for us, it is truly a slap in the face to see that he is planning events on such a scale when he has yet to pay us monies that he has owed us for three-quarters of a year. I apologize again for the post. I will be sure to post to the list right away when we finally receive payment to let everyone know that the problem is resolved and to withdraw my request that list members not support Burak's events. Meanwhile, if the payment remains outstanding, we will contact Julio & Corina, Tanghetto and Fabian & Carolina to let them know about our experience. Sincerely, Meredith Klein [email protected] http://andresamarilla.com
