Magnificence in our ‘Ohana: Murat Demirtas – Dancing with Fabric

March 2026

By Sarah Hodges

Murat’s charisma has filled the Barefoot Ballroom dance floor since he started teaching at Still & Moving Center in 2015. Whether moving as a monkey hero or a demon king in our Diwali performances, Murat has always completely captivated his audiences with his colorful movement. In Turkish belly dance classes, we have shimmied and sparkled with him, wearing our belly dance wraps, confidently “strutting our stuff” with Murat’s fervent encouragement. Dance with Murat, and you sweat away buckets and feel like a million bucks!

Now, as Murat makes moves into his clothing and design business, it’s time for him to wave the handkerchief to his Turkish belly dancing.

Murat has always followed his own advice: Do what brings you alive, what stirs excitement in you.

For over 30 years, Murat’s passion for dance motivated not only his dancers, but also Murat himself. Then the feeling started to shift, and now Murat isn’t dancing as he once did, expertly moving, shaking in front of a belly dance class or an audience. Instead, he says he’s moving through his fabric designs, through colors and patterns. And he loves it. “One day, I felt it,” Murat explains. “My energy wanted to dance in a different way.”

For the 30 years that Murat performed and taught classes in Turkey and here in Hawai’i, dance brought him immense joy. He shared this love for movement and learning with every student he taught. Every class, he gave each student his full attention and dedication to help them grow.

Never taking a sick day, Murat’s strong work ethic has carried him through multiple careers. From working as a top lawyer in Turkey, to a professional dancer, to a restaurant manager, he has continually reinvented himself, always following what felt truthful and right on his path.

Murat recalls, “When I was a kid, I was cutting up my mom’s dresses, trying to make new clothes from them.” His mother got so frustrated with losing precious clothing items to Murat’s creative visions that she signed him up for dance classes in hopes of redirecting his energy. It worked, and Murat’s focus intensified on this artform over the coming years. “So,” Murat says, “I started designing clothing before I started dancing!”

When Murat and his husband Douglas Groesser moved to Hawai‘i, they both worked hard to make their living. “I worked in the restaurants and hotels. And especially when I worked at these places, people were noticing the clothing I’d wear and asking me about it.” Some of his co-workers would ask Murat for style advice. Many wanted to know where he shopped. At the time, Murat had already begun designing some of his clothes as a hobby. He sewed clothing pieces or would have friends in Turkey make the pieces for him. One day, Douglas told him, “You should use this talent.”

Over time, Murat and Douglas brooded on fashion design plans, and in 2022, they opened their clothing brand, Vibrations, with a physical retail store at Waikiki’s International Market Place. Murat also continued to manage the restaurant where he worked, and kept teaching dance classes. He worked around the clock.

Murat’s design talent and passions have continued to grow and spread. He and Douglas opened a second location last year at a high-profile location in Palm Desert, California. He designs both his fabric and the clothing the fabric is made into. Just recently, he brought out his own line of clothing, made in his home country of Turkey. Next on his creative agenda? Fabulous fashions for women!

Designing fabrics quickly became another form of expression for Murat. Just as he once shaped movement in the studio, he now plays with color, pattern, and texture to create clothing that buzzes with life. As he watches customers wearing his designs, moving, dancing, enjoying, and living in them, it brings him the same joy he felt watching his students grow. Each garment carries a sense of motion and energy that reflects Murat’s lifelong love of movement.

Murat’s presence and teaching at Still & Moving Center has elevated the studio. We continue to celebrate all he has shared with us as he radiates outward into this new venture, sharing his joy of movement through color, design, and fabric.

Bravo, Murat! And mahalo for all that you have given us at Still & Moving Center!