The halay is a symbol of everything that is right with Turkey. It’s a dance. A simple dance. It is equality. It is equality because anyone can participate — young and old, Turkish and American, Kurdish and Armenian. It’s equality because it is a circle: no one dominates. It is equality because it can be danced to any music. It is free. You can come and go as you please, and no one is excluded. It’s equality because everyone links their pinky fingers together joining for a moment in harmony. We danced it at our wedding on the Bosphorus, at our engagement in Sile, at various fasil nights in Istanbul. It’s not unlike a lot of ethnic European dances: the hora of Ashkenazi Jews comes to mind.

You may have seen the halay video from the attack today. When the bomb in Ankara went off today claiming the lives of at least 86 people, one video that has made the rounds of major news organizations shows young people dancing the halay and chanting slogans for peace a fireball blasts in the background. Everyone runs for cover. They gathered for peace. They gathered to express unity. What better way for humans to do this than dancing together.

May we never stop dancing the halay.