Persian Dance

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Persian dance history is characterized by many fascinating and also tragic incidents. It seems to be completely unknown to the outside world, partly because of the present political situation of the country that has toned down the interest for a profound research effort. The other reason is the current archaeological discoveries and excavations in Iran, during the past thirty years. They have made it possible to have access to material and evidence for the origin of Persian dance, ever since the appearance of the cult of Mithra about two thousand years before our calendar.

By virtue of these bases, Iran can be considered as one of the ancient world’s empires, which methodically and actively was devoted to the development of the art of dance. For this ancient nation, dancing has been an important social phenomenon and a religious ritual.

It is the irony of history that ever since the revolution in 1979, this art form has been prohibited in the same country that once upon a time performed a central role for its expansion and advancement.

The several thousand years of Iranian history is characterized by great events that influenced important parts of the world and its civilization. It ranges over eras of grandeur but also over painful and absurd periods of defeat and destruction.

The following is a prelude to an exhaustive research work about the history of Persian dance, which I will become absorbed in during the coming years. I hope that it will improve in quality and content and will make a contribution to expose this national art form. The forgotten history of Persian dance is the story of a world heritage, which has to be given a new birth.

In this summary article I have chosen to spotlight seven different eras, from the prehistoric cult of Mithra until the present, which have included decisive events and episodes for developments, but also destructions of this art form. The rise of the new millennium undoubtedly implies a new productive period for Persian dance, as the Iranian society and the new generation of Iran move toward an era of enlightenment.

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THE CULT OF MITHRA
AND THE ORIGIN OF PERSIAN DANCE

The origin and rise of Persian dance as an independent and distinctive art form is estimated to be parallel with the birth of Mithraism and its spread. This cult centrally revolves around the ancient Persia’s sun and light God, Mithra, who is the main figure in this mystery religion that during the late antique era spread over the entire Roman Empire. Numerous temples and depictions of the legendary Mithra have been located and excavated in the three continents of the ancient world; Asia, Africa and Europe. The latest discovery has been done in London as late as 1954.

The most important ritual in this cult has been the worship of Mithra, as he is sacrificing a bull. This act was believed to promote the vigour of life. The consecration to this belief was accomplished among other rites through the baptism in the blood of a bull, followed by a ritual dance performed only by men. This ceremonial act is considered as the earliest known form of Iranian dance, and the origin of the magic dance of the antique civilisations. It is typical for sacred Persic (Persian) dance, so called “Danse Persique Sacrée”.

The most significant bases for researching around the ancient Persian dance can be found in the Greek historian from Halikarnassos, Herodotos’ superb work “Nine Books”. He describes the old history of Asian empires and Persian wars until 478 BC.

In several occasions he has indicated and in detail described the cultural and social habits of Persians. He has mentioned the wide cultural exchange that Persians had with the ancient world. “From every corner of the known (antique) world, the most appreciated artists were imported to the imperial court in order to practice their artistic abilities in the presence of the majestic Emperor and his court.”

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ACHAEMENIANS,
AN ART PATRONIZING IMPERIAL DYNASTY

The cultural exchange with the ancient civilizations, particularly with Egypt and Greece has been extensive and proceeded during several centuries. In various works by Greek historians “Persian dance masters” (choreographs and pedagogues) have been mentioned as they have appeared in antique Greece, and Greek “sportsmen, poets and dancers” have been sent to the Persian Empire.

This cultural exchange has been described as one of the distinctive characteristics of ancient Persian culture, which gave rise to the term of “acculturation”, meaning the acceptance of new cultures. This was an evident quality for the legitimation and survival of an empire that ruled over numerous nations, from Egypt in North Africa, to India in Far East. It was the world’s first religiously tolerant empire and consisted of a multitude of different languages, races, religions and cultures.

Achaemenians, the first ruling dynasty of the Persian Empire, contained several enthusiastic emperors who encouraged the advancement of different art forms. Ketzias, another Greek historian writes about the popular and talented female dancer, Zenon from Crete, who was Artaxerxés II:s (Ardeshir Shah II) court dancer and “the apple of the King’s eye”.

Another Greek historian, Polukleitos, reports that at the marriage of Alexander the Great with the Persian woman “Roxana” in Susa, which continued in five days, he was amused by Greek musicians, singers and dancers who were engaged at the Persian Imperial Court.

Ketzias has specifically mentioned a sort of Persian dance, which was performed in connection with the ceremonies of Mithrakana (Mehrgan) in which even the King participated. “The King in India never appears if he is drunk. But unlike him in Persia, the Emperor drinks precious wine and devotes himself to the Persic dance during the ceremonies arranged in honor of Mithra”. Douris from Samos reports about the same royal tradition: “Only in one occasion the King drinks wine and dances Persic dance and it is when worshipping Mithra.”

Contemporary history writers of our time, such as the French historian and professor Pierre Briant, has convincingly certified in his master piece “L’Histoire de l’Empire Achemenid” that dancing has been an important part of the religious worship among Achaemenians and in the faith of Zoroastrianism (another Persian religion that is still practiced all over the world).

Professor Briant quotes Xenophon, the antique writer of the Cyropedie (a biographical depiction of the first Achaemenian Emperor’s life, Cyrus the Great): “When Cyrus was devoted to the traditional sacrificing rituals in Pars (Persia) he commanded the Persians to perform a dance, which was influenced by the customs of their ancestors: Kata ta patria.”

Xenophon emphasizes that this kind of Persic Dance (Danse Persique) has been very usual and as popular as “riding” because “Persic Dance, like a sport, strengthens the muscles”!

The importance of the art of dance among Persians can clearly be viewed relatively numerous Greek history books. Different forms of dance have existed as they were performed on ceremonial, ritual or entertaining occasions. “For acquainting their horses with the tumultous scenes of war, the Persians used to execute a “military dance”, which meant that in a collective arrangement, clashing the weapons together rhythmically and dancing with their horses".

“… the man from Mysie performed a Persic dance by clashing his shields together, bending himself forward and rising up again. He did all that harmonically and proportionally to the rhythm of the flute.”

Dancing was a well-developed and protected art form during the existence of other dynasties of Persian Empire, for instance Parthian and Sasanian. According to the Greek texts, there have been detailed descriptions for different forms of dancing, like fire dance, sword dance and even horse dance, which meant dancing while riding on horseback.

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ISLAM FORBIDS DANCING

Dance as a respected social behavior and as a part of the Persian culture existed and was elaborated through millennia; alike the antique dance of China, Greece and India until the Arabs invaded Iran. Their new religion prohibited dancing, and this practically implied the extinction of the antique Persian dance traditions.

The English dance historian, Lilly Grove, writes in her book “Dancing” which was published in 1895: “Mohametan views concerning music and dancing have greatly narrowed the circle of amusements in Persia. Dancing girls were numerous at Court until the reigning family ascended the throne of Persia; but at present the dance is given up to women of low condition and of slack morality, or to young boys dressed as women.”

Centuries of political instability, civil war and occupation by foreign powers, first Arabs and then Mongols resulted in a slow but steady disappearance of some Persian prehistoric heritage like the dance traditions.

Beside the religious prohibition, a historic tragedy and a national humiliation was the other important reason for Iranians, not to appreciate the art of dance for a long time to come. After the fall of Persian Empire, when the country was torn into pieces, Iranian women and young girls were slaved and soled in the salve bazaars of the new conquerors. They were forced to sexual intercourse and to erotic dances for pleasing these uncivilized rulers.

One corrupted caliph, Harun ul-Rashid, had approximately three thousand musicians and dancers in his palace who were at his disposal, among them many Persians. This although dance and music was strictly forbidden according to the Islamic instructions. A particular Iranian family named as “Mowseli” has been mentioned as the responsible for the caliph’s entertainment.

This historic shadow and national dishonor, for a people who were losing their cultural identity and human dignity, characterized their view of dance during centuries to come. No Iranian man wished to see his woman dancing in the presence of a stranger. This is why the attitude of Iranian Muslims toward dancing has been of a more conservative nature compared to other Muslim countries throughout the history.

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SUFISM
AND RISING OF SAMA’ DANCE

By and by dancing appeared in the Persian mystic and Sufi faith. It took a central place in literature and was performed by religious men. Hafiz (d. 1388), Saadi (d. 1292) and Mevlana (d. 1273) were three great Persian poets who extolled dancing in their poems and used this art form as a symbol of the power of life. Sufism recommends dancing as a spiritual instrument to “become one with God”, which is the final goal in this faith.

One of the great spiritual masters and poetic geniuses of Persian literature is Jalal ud-Din Rumi, known as Mevlana. He is the most appreciated Sufi of all times, who made dancing a central element in his Sufi doctrine. He was born in Balkh, in the province of Khorasan in the northeast of Iran and flew to the west, away from the invasion of Mongols in the 12th century. He finally resided in the city of Konya where his mausoleum is located today.

It was there he established and developed his order with strong portions of spiritism. Due to the Sufi instructions he stands in the middle point of this belief as the great Sheik, the “spiritual leader” in connection with the hidden, divine dimension and guides his followers “upwards” to the “Immortal”.

The goal will be achieved by practicing a strong ecstatic ritual performed with music and dance as the central strain. This charismatic performance is called Sama’ and represents a spiritual rapprochement to the “Creator” and is practiced until today.

Jean Börlin namely choreographed his ballet “Whirling Dervishes” for ”Les Ballets Suédois” in 1920:s, inspired by this great Sufi faith and its ritual.

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DANCE,
A POPULAR ART IN QADJAR COURT

The only original form of Persian dance in its existing condition, which has survived throughout the centuries, is the folkloric dance of various Iranian focal groups and in particular the nomads. Few dance shows occurred in bigger cities and in public, not at least because of the religious belief and the Islamic prohibition in a strongly traditional, religious and undeveloped society.


But it was different in the royal court of the Qadjars. Old dance traditions can be found there, especially among Qadjar women, even if the art of dancing had no popularity among ordinary people.

However, the rise of the Qadjars in 1796 meant a liberalization of people’s attitude toward dancing, although this art form remained in the monopoly of the royal court. There are illustrations such as both splendid paintings and texts in form of memoirs and official reports emphasizing the popularity of these dances in court and among the elite and bourgeois families.

Thus dancing became much in vogue and a social phenomenon, usually performed during diverse entertaining programs like coronations, marriage festivities and ceremonies of Norouz (the Iranian new year celebration).

In 1998 an art exhibition was arranged in the Brooklyn Museum in New York, USA, where paintings from the Qadjar era was shown. Some of these paintings portray dancing court women at festivities or professional female dancers who entertain the guests.

As mentioned, the Iranian folkloric dance was more developed outside the big cities. Lilly Grove, who I quoted earlier, has reported about a kind of a Tarantella looking dance, which existed in Buzabatt, near the city of Kashan and which looked similar to the Italian one in Sicily.

Further she writes, “In Persia the student of the history of the dance meets with the same difficulties in his investigations as he does in Scotland. The religion of the country has endeavored not only to suppress the pastime, but also to forbid any record of it.”

Another English dance researcher, E. G. Browne, who traveled in Iran and studied the Persian dance in late nineteenth century, has mapped folk dances in the province of Khorasan and Kurdistan. “Yet in some remote provinces of Persia there are dances performed by peasants at night, and at Tehran itself Georgian girls are employed as dancers”.

He speaks with admiration of the dancing boys of Persia; he praises their “elaborate posturing, which is usually more remarkable for acrobatic skill than for grace, at any rate according to western ideas.”

Thanks to the care and efforts of some Iranian minority groups, such as Iranian Armenians and Jews, a fraction of what is called Persian dance has been saved throughout the history among ordinary people. Obviously, several Iranian artistic and cultural heritage including the art of dance would have been lost, if it was not for the devotion of these people.


We Persian Iranians owe a debt of gratitude to our minorities, who in some cases have lived in Iran for thousands of years, because our cultural heritage thus survived difficult times of turbulence and social decadence. Any tradition of Persian dance, which could have been saved, has been preserved through these minorities.

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THE ERA OF PAHLAVI
AND MODERNIZATION OF
IRANIAN CULTURE AND ARTS

The rise of Pahlavi dynasty meant a methodical concentration on modernizing the country. During the years to come an accurate attempt was done in order to compile and develop different styles of dance. From prehistoric folkloric dancing, which is left from the Persian original dance, to the contemporary works of the great western choreographers like Maurice Béjart and Martha Graham.

The history of Iranian ballet traditions starts from 1928, when Madame Cornelli gave her very first lessons in classical ballet until 1982 three years after the Islamic revolution. She and later other pedagogues such as Serkis Janbazian and Madame Yelena, trained some children of the upper class in Tehran. These pedagogues, all of them with Armenian origin, have been educated abroad by European ballet masters. Later on, Madame Cornelli evolved her activity by touring with her ballet ensemble in different parts of the country and abroad.

Yelena Avedisian, known as Madame Yelena, immigrated to Iran in 1945. She moved to the city of Tabriz with her Iranian husband, where she shortly thereafter started her dance school. In 1962, she established the “Song and Dance Ensemble” with the participation of her 150 students. Later, when she moved to Tehran and established a new school, she made ballets of Persian character. ”Rose of Shiraz”, ”Song of the Canary”, ”Gulnara”, ”Portrait of a Patriotic Girl”, ”Fire Dance”, and ”Fountains at the Ferdowsi Square” are some of them.

During the 1930:s, 1940:s and 1950:s a new kind of entertaining dance was developed. It had its roots in Qadjar dance traditions and became known as popular dance, or in the term of our time disco dance. It was performed by ordinary people and aimed only as entertainment at private gatherings and festivities. This kind of dance did not have any artistic quality, but it became more and more popular and new stiles were developed. Motrebi, Ru-hawzi, Baba Karam, Shateri and Tehrooni were performed by people, even as solo dances!

In early 1940:s the first known Iranian dance ensemble with a professional character was formed, called "Revival of Ancient Iranian Arts". For the first time, in 1947, the company was introduced abroad touring in Turkey, Greece, Italy and Lebanon. Later, between 1951 and 1953 performances were given in India and all the Middle Eastern countries.

The Iranian group of "National Folkloric Music, Song and Dance" was formed in 1958 by the Ministry of Culture and Arts under the direction of Nejad Ahmadzadeh. The goal was to revive, restore and develop all kind of national and folkloric music, song and dance.

Groups of experts were sent to villages and far-fetched provinces of Iran to gather material and to make an in depth study of these art forms. The company performed in the presence of all the state guests of Iran including many royal families and presidents of the East and the West such as the Queen of England, King Hassan II of Morocco, Presidents De Gaule of France, Yahya Khan of Pakistan, Chaussesco of Romania, Nixon of USA, etc.

In 1959, the ensemble participated in the International Folk Dance Festival in Turkey, being its first international introduction. Later in 1964 the troupe made a long tour in the Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tunisia, Morocco, the USSR and almost all East European countries. It gave also a week of performances at the Iranian pavilion in Canada at Expo 1967 and Expo 1970 in Japan . During 1968-69 the ensemble made another extensive tour in the USSR, Afghanistan and Tunisia.

More and more dancing became accepted in the traditional Iranian society and thanks to the devoted work of some Iranian enthusiasts it was developing to a popular form of art. Nejad Ahmadzadeh says: "Dance used to be a lowly means of entertainment in Iranian culture. During my career we placed it on the cultural map of Persia as an art form, where it belonged".

During the 1950:s some initiatives have been taken also for establishing a government supported and well organized ballet ensemble at a national level. The Ministry of Culture and Arts invited some ballet masters and choreographers from Europe and the United States to come to Iran and together with the Iranian ballet veterans start a national ballet company.

Nejad Ahmadzadeh was sent by the Ministry to the United States to visit and study different opera houses and concert halls. At his return he established the technical, administrative and artistic sections of the newly built “Roudaki Hall Opera House”. During the same time also a state supported Ballet School was formed for which ballets teachers were engaged from abroad.

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Persian Classical Dance Today, in "TehrAngeles"

Unlike Indian classical dance or western classical ballet, Persian classical dance has not been organized and codified. Thus each dancer creates her own style and improvises within a recognizably Persian framework of movements. An innovative dancer is able to extend the vocabulary of movements in many directions, while retaining the essential Persian feeling.

Because of the emphasis on expression, Persian classical dance is best suited to intimate settings, rather than large concert halls. It was created and grew up in the courts of the princely classes and in private homes, and flourished in the tea houses. None of these venues could compare in size with the concert halls of today. The subtle movements and facial gestures and interaction with the audience that are the hallmarks of the Persian style do not translate well to the 25th row of a large theater. Still, though there are few solo performers of Persian classical dance in Los Angeles, there are several noteworthy dance companies. Bale-ye Melli-ye Pars (“Pars National Ballet”), directed by A. Nazemi, is a continuation of a company that he founded in the 1960’s in Iran, and specializes in authentic presentations of folkloric dance, modern ballets on traditional themes, and some classical-style dance. Sabah Dance Company, directed by Mohammad Khordadian, features flashy choreographies of folkloric dances, with some stylish classical dances. Anthony Shay’s Avaz Dance Theater also includes both folkloric and classical-style dance in their repertoire.

Classical Persian dance today continues to evolve, as exemplified by Haleh, a most extraordinary dancer, with whom I have had the opportunity to study. Haleh was from an upper-class Iranian family who would never allow her to dance in public. But the family was very much involved in Iranian performing arts; they had a restaurant on the Caspian Sea, where the best singers, musicians, and dancers came to perform. She grew up immersed in the Persian, and western, arts. She studied all kinds of dance, including ballet and flamenco. Though she has never performed in public, she is one of the most gifted dancers I have ever seen, combining strength, flexibility, musicality, and art, into what could be considered the epitome of classical Persian dance. Influenced by western technique and the power of flamenco, her dancing is suffused with the elegance of Persian expression. She provides an example that Persian classical dance is not a dead art, frozen in time and endlessly repeated, but one that is both rich in heritage, and capable of adapting and incorporating elements from outside its tradition.

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...Two lovely girls prepared for the dance.....went to change and came out again in wide green trousers, embroidered white bodices, which did not cover more than their breasts; and with castanets of silver blended metal on their fingers.
The musicians tuned up and the two girls began.

Their foot movements were controlled and unimportant. It was the upper part of their bodies which moved. Sinuous and supple, they waved their arms gracefully backwards and forwards above their heads, while their fingers played with the castanets so that they sometimes clapped like Spanish castanets and sometimes rang like a chime of bells.......The tempo of the dance increased until the dancers' feet flew over the mat so lightly that the soft thudding of their feet was scarcely even heard.

Urged on by the dance and the music, the audience began to shout to the girls, who suddenly stood on their heads, turned somersaults, and made snake-like movements. The audience was delighted."

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Persian Dance- in Perspective - The Non-Persian perspective by Shahrzad Khorsandi
“You’re a Persian dancer? Oh- so you do Bellydance?”
“ What kind of dance do you do? Persian? Oh I know a bit of Persian dance ! I took a Bellydance class at the YMCA last year!”
“ I love Persian dance! My daughter takes it over at the community center. It’s called Bellydance for teens!”

If I had a nickel for every time someone I talked to referred to Persian dance as “Bellydance”, I’d be traveling around the world in my own private jet. It’s no wonder that we Persians get so excited when someone non-Persian speaks a word of Farsi, or even recognizes that Persians speak Farsi and not Arabic. I can’t blame people, though, for not being familiar with the Persian culture. For one thing, the American media seems to refer to ALL middle-eastern countries as “Arab countries”, completely ignoring the fact that the inhabitants of countries like Iran and Afghanistan are of the Indo-European race. From this distant perspective it’s easy to see that part of the map as the Arab world, which of course, thanks to Hollywood, paints an exotic picture of smokey hookah lounges and long-bearded sheikhs with their harems of beautiful bellydancers, and nothing else. The only other image of the middle-east, this time thanks to the news media, is the image of the “terrorist”. I guess if I had to pick, I’d choose the former over the latter.

The style of dance, “Bellydance”, in Farsi is directly translated as “Arabic dance”, which is why every time someone mistakes my Persian dancing for Bellydance, it’s as if they are confusing my ethnic identity with another. In a way, it’s like saying to a Chinese person, “You are from China? Oh I know how to say hello in Japanese! May be you can teach me some more words!” I believe all cultures are full of beauty to explore and discover and I respect every culture. But I do wish people wouldn’t constantly confuse my culture with others. It’s a strange feeling of a lost identity. It’s as if I have entered a room full of people who insist on calling me by someone else’s name.

Of course there are always similarities in the cultures that are geographically close. There is an overlap in the music, dance, art; certainly a connection through the religion, Islam and “Islamic Art”. There is always a cultural overlap with neighboring countries. But there are many differences that make each culture distinct, and it is those distinctions that give the culture its identity. So, part of my mission, as a Persian dancer/choreographer/teacher is to expose the non-Persian public to the distinct aesthetics of Persian dance. I do that by performing Persian dance in self-produced and collaborative concerts, teaching Persian dance classes and workshops at colleges/universities, community centers, schools, libraries, and through my dance company in Berkeley, California...

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I was thrilled to be part of Niosha Dance Company's annual fundraising event for children with cancer, held in Campbell , CA on May 13, 2006.

She is truly an inspiration! I'd like to share the day with you all:

Prior to the dance performance, Niosha gathered all the children backstage and while she held up photographs of the sick children in Iran she said, "Dear lovely students and talented perfomers: Remember what you are doing tonight is not just another performance or a school recital. You are helping all the kids your age (God forbid) who don't have as much fun as you do, or get to be among friends, or even enjoy the simplest joys of life. They are in hospitals awaiting their next medication. They have no money, and little hope. So, by dancing your best, and giving your biggest smiles, you will touch the audience's hearts and make them come back and support us every year. By sending the tickets' money to those kids, you give them a second chance in life. We don't know who would be next to go on the hospital bed (I hope no one we know, but unfortunately it could happen). We all need to keep in mind why we are here. Have FUN and do you BEST, and don't forget, put on your BIGGEST SMILES! You are all amazing for all the time and effort you've put in to this show and all the practices, and hard work is about to pay off!" Niosha was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in April 2002, just 3 months after the birth of her second son. On April 2003, she celebrated her victorious fight against cancer with her caring supporters in the community along with her devoted and talented students when they performed "The Comeback" show and donated all the proceeds to 'children with cancer'.

That is what she promised God during her treatment period -- that if she gets another chance to perform and be on stage with her kids, she will make a difference in the world. It has been 3 years that she's been given this opportunity. Niosha says: 'I am so grateful for what happened to me. It made a huge difference in my life and I live with a purpose and passion for life 'every day' ,since I got too close to the end. Now that I am able to breathe and work and enjoy my time again, I don't take anything for granted and I appreciate all I have. We all have so many things that if we want to enjoy them all, there won't be enough time. Unfortunately we spend most of our precious time nagging and worrying about the things we DON'T have and we miss all that we do.

I enjoy my ANGELS (2 sons before I was diagnosed with cancer, since they kept me going) and I cherish my MIRACLE baby (my 3rd son who was born 3 years after my diagnosis when doctors told me I couldn't have anymore babies!). Miracles do happen and I believe in them.

http://www.persianmirror.com/images/edtorial/2006/Niosha/niosha6.jpg

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[Parinaz_M]

mer30 dash sia
man asheghe rakhs hastam
baba joon har ki mikhad raghs yad begire biyad pishe khodam
chand ta classe feshorde baraton mizaram, hame chizo beheton yad midam

[Sepideh_UK]

khob ye video az raghse irani bezarin inja:D

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Dancers Parousha Zand, Aliah Najmabadi and Rosa Rojas in Safar-e Zamaan-Time's Journey.


This summer Afsaneh Art & Culture Society programs will continue with classes and activities in the Bay Area:



Sign up now for Summer Camp! with the Alborz Farsi School. 408 829-8296
Ballet Afsaneh Dance Academy continues with classes this summer in Marin, San Jose and Berkeley. Email for schedules and information--- <info@dancesilkroad.org>


Yes the rumors are true! Ballet Afsaneh and the Nejad World Music Center collaborative concerts are now finally available on DVD! Two different DVDs are ready for purchase, “A Rose in Love's Garden” and “Dayereh Hasti: Circle of Life” for $40 each or both for $70. We will be sending out a link for online orders soon. In the meantime please email us directly for more information at----- <info@dancesilkroad.org>

From all of us with the Afsaneh Art & Culture Society:

Thank you for making this year our best ever and your continuing support of our programs throughout the year! Have a wonderful summer.

http://www.persianmirror.com/images/edtorial/2006/afsaneh.jpg

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Relocating to the west coast was a big leap for me. A young belly dancer from New England, I wanted to move where the weather was gorgeous, and the stakes were high. I had heard there were a lot of people from Iran in California. This gave me respect for the culture.

People who were smart enough to pick a place with nice weather -- how great. Not like my ancestors, who moved halfway round the world to wind up in Massachusetts. I resented that with each blizzard -- why couldn't they have gone a few extra miles and landed someplace sunny? Shaking my fist at the sky, I made my plan. California, here I come!

Nothing in my life had prepared me for Southern California. Television had lied to me. And to make things worse, I moved to Orange County. I hated OC immediately. But -- there were Persians as promised! Lots of them. And the women all looked ten times more beautiful then me. Damn!

Now, let me explain something about me here. Growing up as a girl brain in New England, I never worried much about my appearance. Bathe and comb your hair, that's all it takes to be cute in Boston. Add lipstick and you can be homecoming queen.

I was used to gussying up for performance, but the rest of the time, I considered myself strictly off-duty, and with good reason. Now thanks to all these hyper-groomed females I might be forced to join a gym. Oh, the humanity.

The first week I called home and regaled my best friend with stories of how you could get "that good soup" (aush reshteh) whenever you wanted. At this time, Massachusetts had only one Persian restaurant in the entire state. So getting the good soup was really something special. I had it every day for a week.

Pretty soon I was dancing at a lot of the venues, and getting my soup for free. I learned there were tricks to dancing for Persian audiences. I live in the Bay area now, and perform at a lot of Persian events in the South Bay. Here's what I have learned in my cross-cultural journey:

1. No matter what you call them, it's wrong. Whether I say "Persian" or "Iranian" someone in the room will correct my usage. If you call them "Arab" they'll send you home with an atlas. Oh yeah, and a black eye.

2. Nothing slow. Americans love really draggy music; it sounds mystical and exotic to us. Not the Persians. Loud, please. Fast, please. And does it have to be middle eastern anyway? Haven't you got some Alabina?

3. I am not the best. The best dancer in the room is never the professional dancer. It's always a guest, but she would never perform for pay -- so they are stuck with me, hah!

Sometimes I like to play a guessing game before going through the audience. I call it "Dancing Quuen". Dancing Queen might br six years old, or sixty. Who will she be this time? That coed princess in platforms? The grandmother in a headscarf?

All I know, is someone here is going to act very shy and offended before standing up and transforming into an Austin Powers Femmebot. Then she'll sit down before getting sweaty or disheveled.

4. Nothing old. This includes the dancer. Got a wrinkle? Get off the stage!!! This also includes music. No old music. And costumes - they better not be shabby, and don't wear the same one twice in a row. Is "bling" a word in Farsi by the way?

5. Nothing boring. Bring your sword, your fire, your wings and coin tricks. The first time I danced at a South Bay club, there was a mixup with my music. It was another dancer's CD that turned out to contain thirty minutes of new age music for stretches and yoga exercise.

I tried to front that I'm all ethereal and mysterious, but after a few songs I gave up and went back to the dressing room. I think we were all relieved when the band came on and struck up a thumping bandari. The next time I showed up, one guy said to his friend "Look, it's the serious dancer!"

6. Don't touch the hair. Never the hair.

7. Mind the carpet. Living in SoCal, you meet some very wealthy people. I guess you've got to have money to afford all the rug shampoo it takes to clean 10,000 square feet of wall-to-wall white shag. From Bel Air to Encino, I would dance at parties and marvel at the courage it takes to sip red wine in a house that looks like the set of a Kubrick movie.

8. They could have fun anyway. I love this about Persians. Okay, let me explain something from the belly dancer's point of view. I might see a hundred parties in a year. I run in, dance, run out. Repeat. And I'll tell you most people don't know how to have fun. Parties like that are torture. It's like working at Chuck E. Cheese's except for the sequined bra. But the Persian gigs are great. They don't need me there, they're having a good time anyway.

9. It's going where it's going. Although I usually put a hand on my opposite shoulder if a tipper has a certain look in his eye, all bets are off when it comes to the older ladies. A tactfully draped arm across one's cleavage may be a defense for the guys, but it's no match for a determined granny! I've been mauled more times than I can remember by little old ladies.

10. Tah dig with ghormeh sabzi rocks. I know, I didn't have to spend my entire adult life belly dancing to find that out. But boy is it good.

So there you have it -- the belly dancer's confession. Next time you see one of us shimmying away, remember, we're looking at you too!

[donsaeid]

belly dancing in turkish tv by a child

YouTube - Amazing Belly Dancing

[DariushM]

ah halam beham khord
saeed
rate bood to search zade bood child porn va ino peyda kardi?:D

[Sepideh_UK]

ah halam beham khord
saeed
rate bood to search zade bood child porn va ino peyda kardi?:D

LOOL
Idiot!!!

saeid kheily ham khub bud. dastet dard nakone:p

[RedWine]

hahaha .

[Nutcase]

here is a link to a persian dance/ballet group in vancouver that may be relevant here:

http://www.vancouverpnb.com/

[donsaeid]

ah halam beham khord
saeed
rate bood to search zade bood child porn va ino peyda kardi?:D

harki harchiz ro ontor ke fekresh bashe mibine :D

yeki see it as a cute adorable child!

yeki as child porn!!!

fekre kharabe digaron ro man ke nemitonam karish konam. mitonam???

[owner1]

Damnnn to much of info .... thankyou

[ramtin123]

Thanks for the info. Is there any persian dance clips we could download?

[RedWine]

Thanks for the info. Is there any persian dance clips we could download?

Not yet, maybe later :=) .

[mazipowa]

yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[merwais]

thx this is really nice

[RedWine]

With all the negativity surrounding Iranians and Iran these days, there is little that is obviously optimistic. Who we really are, is often masked by those desperate to drag us into their bitter feuds and hostile intentions.

So it is wonderful when a truly inspiring story comes along.

Niosha Nafei is a Bay Area Iranian Community icon. But before I get to that let me tell you what she does.

Niosha Dance Academy (NDA) has been teaching young and older students, various traditional classical, and modern Persian Dance since 1991. Niosha's love of dance came at an early age, when in Iran as the youngest of 3 sisters, they would dance around the house and at the time, troupe performance competitions were all the rage in pre-revolution Iran. Ask any female family member old enough to remember and they will recount how they participated or watched these local, regional and national competitions growing up.

Festooned in elaborate costumes depicting traditional or tribal designs, 5-6 girls per troupe would glide in unison and perform their routines on stages, all across Iran to cheering audiences. Numerous regional summer camps were organized, and girls from all over the country would travel to them to compete, perfect their craft and hone their performances. It was certainly a time to remember, certainly an important part of our culture that more and more, cries out to be reclaimed.

And that is precisely what Niosha does.

NDA students attend classes at least one day per week, at one of 4 studios in various parts of the Bay Area. This is a necessity as Iranians, unlike other minorities in the US, infrequently group their choice of residence together, choosing to fan out as far away from each other as possible, as if on purpose. As if. So there aren't any obvious Iranian neighborhoods. Which now that I write and re-read this, is very telling indeed.

But there are obvious pockets of Iranians, and by ingenuity or luck, Niosha has at least found the right locations in near enough proximity to the mass of Iranians in the Bay Area, that her classes are over flowing with students who now have an altogether healthier alternative to AYSO Soccer, or little league baseball, or the usual Tae Kwon Do and Karate franchises, and let us not forget GYMTASTIC!

Although predominantly made up of kids programs, NDA has classes for adults as well. Teaching consists of regimented and meticulously worked out dance steps in traditional Persian, Persian Pop, and Belly Dancing, to even teaching choreography which allows the more advanced students to exercise their creativity by creating new dances and continue moving forward in their art. Not just limited to Persian Dance, Niosha has introduced other dance forms such as Ballroom, Cha Cha and Salsa, and of course everyone loves these dances.

Possibly the most important and often overlooked benefit of Niosha's program is the internship or apprenticeship program. The instructors are made up almost entirely of a first generation of Niosha dancers, many of whom started at age 7 and who now having reached a sufficient level of mastery and age, are now ready to take over the reigns of instruction themselves. Thereby ensuring one of our most important cultural rites of passage, and preparing a legacy for the future. This is huge, and unfortunately I don't know of many instances where this is happening today.

At Niosha's classes, the kids interact with each other in both Farsi and English, which inevitably leads to F-inglish as necessary. But a visit to one of Niosha's classes shows what is really happening under the clever guise of 'Dance Class'. Because, there is a lot more happening here than just dance instruction.

The impact on Iranian kids able to attend an after-school program in which they are the majority, is undeniably empowering. Visiting the studio, I noticed immediately a higher sense of confidence, and this was just based on the noise level! Having 2 kids myself, I have noticed that whenever Iranian children are in the minority, at a program such as this, they are often more polite and quieter than the other kids. This is an engrained social behavior we have taught by example, to our kids. Don't stick out.

At Niosha's classes, the kids are predominantly Iranian, and occasionally you will see a child either from a mixed marriage, or even non-Iranian kids whose parents are simply interested in learning Persian dance. Go figure that in this day and age there are actually people interested in our culture!

But the majority is definitely Iranian kids. And this seems to give them an extra boost of confidence, and the fact that all the instructors are Iranian, and speak Farsi and English, gives these kids a sense of belonging and family and connection. Seeing the sheer enthusiasm and glee of Iranian kids in this environment brings tears to anyone's eyes.

http://www.persianmirror.com/Images/Articles/907/Relay06-teachers.jpg

[RedWine]

This 15 year higher mission hit a setback when in April 2002 Niosha was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph system. Given less than a 40% chance of survival, Niosha began her difficult road to recovery, taking it just like any other challenge. With an eternal optimism, dedication, and hard work. The local Bay Area Iranian Community turned out in the thousands as well wishers, volunteers and helpers and of course her incredibly tight family, reached out to one of our own in need. After an aggressive regimen of chemo, radiation therapies, Niosha miraculously emerged from the ordeal, not as good as she was, but stronger than ever.

The hardest part of her recovery was dealing with the immense sadness that we as Iranians tend to express during situations like this. At a time when optimism and positivism is the most key, we tend to drift into a hand-wringing ritual of utter despair and hopelessness. I remember when Niosha would host 'get well' parties at her house, that were thrown on a weekly basis and the house was full of flowers, it seemed that it was Niosha who would have to raise the spirits of the others, instead of the other way around. Niosha said, 'It just felt right, to look after entertaining the others, and making sure they had their snacks and chaies and because in doing so, I didn't really have the time to worry about my own emotions.'

Indeed keeping her mind off of her own predicament, turned into a new project, this time to inform and educate other cancer patients that she became aware of, and this led to Niosha working with one of the Iranian satellite TV stations to produce a call-in program for women and those with cancer, in which the issues, questions and details of dealing with the disease were discussed openly offering a much needed outlet and exposure, that was widely received and callers from all over the world called in to express their gratitude to her for bringing the show to Iranians everywhere.

It is also necessary to mention that during this entire process, as a result of the harsh chemicals bombarding her system, Niosha had gained close to 40 pounds and lost virtually all of her patented long Persian flowing hair. The reality of facing death, combined with the traditional ego-hit for an Iranian woman, when it comes to her beauty and vitality, was only punctuated by the fact that Niosha was a former beauty pageant winner. So the change in her appearance was doubly difficult to digest.

But after her successful recovery, Niosha rebounded with a renewed and intensified life force and literally the day after being given the go ahead by her doctors, returned once again to her true passion, Dance.

As a testament to her ordeal, Niosha has kept herself and NDA involved in the fight against cancer, and she has become a committed champion and inspiration among her fellow survivors and of course all women actively fighting their own battles with this nefarious disease.

Here in the Bay Area, through her connection with the American Cancer Society, she is one ACS' most active supporters and fund raisers.

Helping to raise awareness and funds for cancer research and treatment programs here, led Niosha to find out about various programs inside Iran, even though because of her involvement in dance, she is on the government's ridiculous cultural banned list, and cannot herself go to Iran at this time.

She has nonetheless turned her attention to her homeland and an organization called The Mahak Foundation. Mahak specializes in the treatment and programs to aid children with cancer. A mother of 2 boisterous boys before her cancer, Niosha was told by doctors after her recovery that she could not expect to have children again. This too turned out to be wrong and less than a year after her recovery Niosha was pregnant with her 3rd son Rameen-John (get it?). This was what made the Mahak story so compelling and the primary reason why Niosha chose to direct her attention towards this worthy cause.

As a way to raise funds for ACS and Mahak, Niosha came up with the brilliant idea to put on an annual showcase of her dancers in the Bay Area. Now in it's 6th year, the show has become a hallmark Bay Area event drawing famous stars like Aref, Bijan Mortazavi, and Martik to come from LA and beyond to show their support. Each class of students from as small as 5 years old, all the way up to adults perform traditional and modern dances in lavish costumes, having spent weeks perfecting their moves, with live music and lights and backgrounds. The event is more and more extravagant each year. It has become a community tradition and more importantly has now successfully raised over $50,000 since it's start.

So, a happy ending? All's well that ends well? In this crazy world we live in, who knows? But as I started to say, it's really nice to once in a while be able to write a story like this one. Being witness to someone as dedicated and true, Niosha is a real cultural Icon, a local hero and champion, but one can especially say that, at a time when being Iranian is not exactly perceived well, she is also a multi-national treasure.

[RedWine]

دیوارهای سالن رقص را آیینه ها پوشانده اند. جذب حرکات نرم اندام زنی می شوید که دارد به حدود بیست رقص آموز زن، باله آموزش می دهد. اما مجبورید هر چه زودتر این سالن را که یکی از معروف ترین سالن های آموزش رقص به زنان در تهران است، ترک کنید؛ مدیریت سالن های رقص از سوال های هیچ خبرنگاری استقبال نمی کند.

آموزش رقص در ایران به رغم تعداد فراوان کلاس های رقص و اشتیاق روزافزون برای یادگیری آن، امری ممنوع است که پنهانی انجام می شود.

کار خلافی انجام نمی دهيم

«هیچ کس مجوز کلاس رقص ندارد. هر کسی می گوید دارد، دروغ می گوید.» این حرف سمیرا، زن جوانی است که 6 سال است در باشگاهی ورزشی در غرب تهران آموزش رقص می دهد.

او که بارها شاهد تعطیل شدن باشگاه هايی در همين منطقه تهران بوده که برنامه آموزش رقص نیز داشته اند، می گوید:« فکر می کنم باشگاه ما "پارتی" دارد که تا حالا مشکلی نداشته ایم.»

اما مدیر باشگاه ورزشی ای در حوالی خیابان ولی عصر تهران با این نظر موافق نیست. او که از مدیران ارشد یکی از فدراسیون های ورزشی نیز هست، خونسرد می گوید:« من خودم از مسئولان اداره اماکن سوال کردم. گفتند ما می دانیم که چه باشگاه هایی کلاس رقص دارند ولی تا وقتی کسی شکایتی نکرده باشد کاری به کارشان نداریم .»

سیاست اداره اماکن درباره برخورد با کلاس های رقص عمومی و خصوصی که ظاهراً سیاستی سلیقه ای است، اگرچه می تواند خيال برخی افراد را آسوده کند، برای عده ای دیگر اینطور نیست.

فرشته که کلاس رقص خصوصی ای را اداره می کند پشت گوشی تلفن هول می شود و سعی می کند برگزاری کلاس های رقص خود را انکار کند.

سمیرا نیز می گوید:« کار خلافی انجام نمی دهیم. اما همیشه یک ترسی داریم که انگار خلافکاریم. در صورتی که هیچ مردی هم حق ندارد داخل کلاس رقص بیاید و همه شئونات را خودمان رعایت می کنیم. اگر هم موضوع، استفاده از موسیقی است که در کلاس های ایروبیک هم از آن استفاده می کنند. حتی ما حاضریم از آهنگ های بدون کلام هم استفاده کنیم فقط هر لحظه فکر نکنیم که الآن می آیند و ما را می گیرند.»

ایروبیک و سه نقطه...

پنهان کاری در برگزاری کلاس های رقص امکان تبلیغات را از این آموزشگاه ها سلب می کند. مدیر باشگاهی ورزشی که کلاس رقص هم دارد، در تبلیغاتش بدون نام بردن از رقص، صرفا به کلاس های ورزشی خود اشاره کرده است. او علت این کار را در یک جمله ساده خلاصه می کند:« به خاطر محدودیت ها نمی توانیم بنویسیم رقص یاد می دهیم.»

فائقه دختر جوانی است که از دو سال پیش به کلاس رقص می رود. او در این دو سال کلاس های رقص متفاوتی را تجربه کرده است. به نظر فائقه کسی که دنبال رقص باشد خودش می تواند از نوع تبلیغات متوجه شود که در کدام باشگاه رقص هم آموزش می دهند. او مثال می زند:« مثلا در تبلیغ می نویسند ایروبیک و سه نقطه. بعد در کنار این سه نقطه یک طرح کوچکی می زنند از فردی در حال برک زدن. خب اگر شما پی کلاس رقص باشید، سریع این نشانه را می گیرید.»

در این فضا که از روی اجبار رقص در سایه ورزش های مختلف پنهان می شود، کلاسها اغلب با تبليغات شفاهی و دهان به دهان معرفی می شوند. سمیرا می گوید:« چون شش سال است کلاس رقص داریم، دیگر کلاسمان جا افتاده است و همه به همدیگر معرفی اش می کنند. حتی برایمان که در غرب تهرانیم، شاگرد از تهران پارس می آید. شش سال پیش در کل 15 تا شاگرد داشتیم و حالا در یک ساعت 40 تا 50 شاگرد داریم.»

حرف به حرف تا متن

ناديا که زنی اوکراینی و فارغ التحصیل دانشگاه رقص از این کشور است، با همسر ایرانی اش در تهران زندگی می کند. ناديا در ایران، آموزش رقص می دهد.

او تاکید دارد که اولین مرحله رقص، درک کردن ریتم و آشنایی گوش با آن است. می گوید که پس از اصلاح ایستادن و فرم بدن نوبت به آموزش اصلی رقص می رسد؛ زمانی که رقص آموز «حرف به حرف» رقص را یاد می گيرد تا بتواند مثل یادگیری زبان، از این حروف کلمه، جمله و در نهایت متن بسازد.

ناديا با این مقدمه توضیح می دهد که یادگیری رقص برای گروه سنی خاصی نیست: «از بچه سه، چهار ساله تا خانم های 35 و چهل ساله می آیند که رقص یاد بگیرند. اما خانم هایی که سنشان بالاتر از چهل سال است خجالت می کشند. زنی پنجاه ساله آمد از من پرسید که من چیزی می توانم یاد بگیرم؟ و خودش بعد از دو ماه دید که واقعا می تواند. خیلی ها نمی دانند که بعد از پنجاه سالگی هم می شود حرکات سبک رقص را یاد گرفت.»


سمیرا هم با اینکه می گوید بیشتر شاگردانش را زنان بین بيست تا سی سال تشکیل می دهند اما فراموش نمی کند که شاگرد هفتاد ساله هم داشته است.

سبکی که وجود ندارد

شاید حرف ناديا درست باشد که می گوید اسم رقص باله، آنقدر رقص آموز ايرانی را به کنجکاوی می اندازد که بیشتر به یادگیری این رقص تمایل نشان می دهد. اما نمی شود نادیده گرفت که در بیشتر کلاس ها چند رقص اصلی دیگر نیز در برنامه درسی قرار دارند.

رقص عربی، اسپانیایی و ایرانی از رقص های پرطرفدار هستند. سمیرا در کلاس هایش علاوه بر این رقص ها، رقص ترکی و آذربایجانی هم تدریس می کند. می گوید رقص های دیگری هم مثل رقص قاجاری وجود دارند و البته اضافه می کند که مربیان «این ها را از خودشان در آورده اند».

سمیرا اعتقاد دارد: «به جز رقص های اصلی چیزی به عنوان سبک رقص در ایران نداریم. همه چیزهایی که می شنویم یکسری اسم است که مختص مربی ابداع کننده اش است . مثل "رقص دایره". یا رقص های دیگری که با اسامی خاص تدریس می شوند.»

[RedWine]

چیزی مثل لباس های ورزشی

«اینقدر ملغمه عجیب و غریبی است که هر چه بپوشی درست است.» فائقه اضافه می کند: «درکل در ایران برای رقص از لباس های بدن سازی استفاده می شود. چون مثلا لباس باله در ایران نیست و هر کسی هم که دارد از خارج برایش آورده اند. برای رقص عربی هم بیشتر شالی که دور باسن می بندند اهمیت دارد که شال در ایران هست. بالا تنه هم در این رقص باید یک نیم تنه خیلی کوتاه آویز دار داشته باشد که آن را هم هیچ معلمی توصیه نمی کند ولی خیلی ها یک چنين چیزی را روی بلوز استرچ می پوشند.»

فائقه می گوید که لباس اصلی رقص اسپانیایی هم در ایران نیست ولی دوختن چیزی مشابه آن کار سختی نیست: «بیشتر به یک دامن پر چین نیاز است.»

شاید مساله اصلی بر سر کفش باشد. کفش ابتدایی باله را دو کفش دوز در تهران هستند که می دوزند. با هزینه ای کمتر از 10 هزار تومان. ولی کفش پیشرفته باله را حتما باید از خارج از ایران سفارش داد. سفارشی که برای سفارش دهنده اش بسیار گران تمام می شود. به این کفش اصطلاحاً «پوانت» می گویند که سطحی صاف و محکم در نوک خود دارد تا رقصنده بتواند روی آن بایستد.

کفش رقص اسپانیایی هم می تواند کفش پاشنه دار ساده ای باشد که دور مچ پا بسته شود. ولی حتما باید پاشنه آن بسیار محکم باشد تا بتوان آن را روی زمین کوبید؛ برای ایجاد صدایی که در رقص اسپانیایی لازم است.

می گویند برای رقص ایرانی و عربی هم صرفا به کفشی راحت و قابل انعطاف نیاز است. کفشی مثل کفش ابتدایی باله. نه کفشی بند دار یا پاشنه دار.

رقص، مساله ای زنانه

مدیر باشگاه ورزشی حوالی خیابان ولی عصر می گوید: «تا به حال برایم پیش نیامده است که با پسری برخورد کنم که بیاید بگوید ببخشید برای آقایان هم کلاس رقص دارید؟»

به نظر می رسد حتی با در نظر گرفتن شمار مردانی که خواستار آموختن رقص هستند و سمیرا، مربی رقص، نیز می گويد تجربه برخورد با بیش از پنجاه مورد از آنها را داشته است، اما همچنان آموزش رقص در ایران مساله ای مختص به زنان است.

فائقه اعتقاد دارد:« همانطور که طبق تابوهای سنتی برای یک مرد زشت است که گریه کند، همین تابوها هم یادگیری رقص را برای مردان زشت قلمداد می کنند. بخاطر این پیش زمینه ی فکری که زن باید رقصیدن بلد باشد نه مرد، رقص مساله ای زنانه به نظر می رسد.»

برای بالا رفتن اعتماد به نفس

زنانی از همه گروه های سنی که حاضرند برای کلاس های گروهی رقص به طور متوسط ماهیانه 15 هزار تومان و برای کلاس های خصوصی جلسه ای از 10 تا 100 هزار تومان بپردازند، از یادگیری رقص اهداف مختلفی دارند.

عده ای از آنها بر اساس اصل «یک دختر باید بلد باشد برقصد» مشتری دایم این کلاس ها هستند تا در مهمانی ها «کم نیاورند». چیزی که شاید آن را به قول ناديا که آموزش رقص را هم در ایران و هم در اوکراین تجربه کرده است بتوان اینطور بیان کرد: «دختران ایرانی برای بالا رفتن اعتماد به نفسشان رقص می آموزند.»

عده ای دیگر با تغییر جو جامعه در چند سال اخیر توسط خانواده هایشان به علل مختلف برای آموختن رقص فرستاده می شوند. سمیرا می گوید که خیلی از شاگردانش را شوهرانشان مجبور به یادگیری رقص می کنند در صورتی که شاید تا چند سال پیش زنان و دخترانی بودند که بدون اطلاع خانواده هایشان به صورت پنهانی رقص می آموختند.

گروهی هم برای لاغری و تناسب اندام به این کلاس ها مراجعه می کنند.

در این میان شاگردانی نیز هستند که عاشقانه رقص را دوست دارند. آنها به عنوان یک هنر این رشته را پیگیری می کنند تا در آن به سطح مورد نظرشان از تبحر برسند. فائقه می گوید: «شور حرکات همراه با زیبایی رقص، وادارم می کند که رقص یاد بگیرم.»

[RedWine]

With all the negativity surrounding Iranians and Iran these days, there is little that is obviously optimistic. Who we really are is often masked by those desperate to drag us into their bitter feuds and hostile intentions.

So it is wonderful when a truly inspiring story comes along.

Niosha Nafei is a Bay Area Iranian Community icon. But before I get to that let me tell you what she does.

Niosha Dance Academy (NDA) has been teaching young and older students, various traditional classical, and modern Persian Dance since 1991. Niosha's love of dance came at an early age, when in Iran as the youngest of 3 sisters, they would dance around the house and at the time, troupe performance competitions were all the rage in pre-revolution Iran. Ask any female family member old enough to remember and they will recount how they participated or watched these local, regional and national competitions growing up.

Festooned in elaborate costumes depicting traditional or tribal designs, 5-6 girls per troupe would glide in unison and perform their routines on stages, all across Iran to cheering audiences. Numerous regional summer camps were organized, and girls from all over the country would travel to them to compete, perfect their craft and hone their performances.






It was certainly a time to remember, certainly an important part of our culture that more and more, cries out to be reclaimed.

And that is precisely what Niosha does.

NDA students attend classes at least one day per week, at one of 4 studios in various parts of the Bay Area. This is a necessity as Iranians, unlike other minorities in the US, infrequently group their choice of residence together, choosing to fan out as far away from each other as possible, as if on purpose. As if. So there aren't any obvious Iranian neighborhoods. Which now that I write and re-read this, is very telling indeed.

But there are obvious pockets of Iranians, and by ingenuity or luck, Niosha has at least found the right locations in near enough proximity to the mass of Iranians in the Bay Area, that her classes are over flowing with students who now have an altogether healthier alternative to AYSO Soccer, or little league baseball, or the usual Tae Kwon Do and Karate franchises, and let us not forget GYMTASTIC!

Although predominantly made up of kids programs, NDA has classes for adults as well. Teaching consists of regimented and meticulously worked out dance steps in traditional Persian, Persian Pop, and Belly Dancing, to even teaching choreography which allows the more advanced students to exercise their creativity by creating new dances and continue moving forward in their art. Not just limited to Persian Dance, Niosha has introduced other dance forms such as Ballroom, Cha Cha and Salsa, and of course everyone loves these dances.

Possibly the most important and often overlooked benefit of Niosha's program is the internship or apprenticeship program. The instructors are made up almost entirely of a first generation of Niosha dancers, many of whom started at age 7 and who now having reached a sufficient level of mastery and age, are now ready to take over the reigns of instruction themselves. Thereby ensuring one of our most important cultural rites of passage, and preparing a legacy for the future. This is huge, and unfortunately I don't know of many instances where this is happening today.

[RedWine]

At Niosha's classes, the kids interact with each other in both Farsi and English, which inevitably leads to F-inglish as necessary. But a visit to one of Niosha's classes shows what is really happening under the clever guise of "Dance Class". Because, there is a lot more happening here than just dance instruction.

The impact on Iranian kids able to attend an after-school program in which they are the majority, is undeniably empowering. Visiting the studio, I noticed immediately a higher sense of confidence, and this was just based on the noise level! Having 2 kids myself, I have noticed that whenever Iranian children are in the minority, at a program such as this, they are often more polite and quieter than the other kids. This is an engrained social behavior we have taught by example, to our kids. Don't stick out.

At Niosha's classes, the kids are predominantly Iranian, and occasionally you will see a child either from a mixed marriage, or even non-Iranian kids whose parents are simply interested in learning Persian dance. Go figure that in this day and age there are actually people interested in our culture!

But the majority is definitely Iranian kids. And this seems to give them an extra boost of confidence, and the fact that all the instructors are Iranian, and speak Farsi and English, gives these kids a sense of belonging and family and connection. Seeing the sheer enthusiasm and glee of Iranian kids in this environment brings tears to anyone's eyes.

This 15 year higher mission hit a setback when in April 2002 Niosha was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph system. Given less than a 40% chance of survival, Niosha began her difficult road to recovery, taking it just like any other challenge. With an eternal optimism, dedication, and hard work. The local Bay Area Iranian Community turned out in the thousands as well wishers, volunteers and helpers and of course her incredibly tight family, reached out to one of our own in need. After an aggressive regimen of chemo, radiation therapies, Niosha miraculously emerged from the ordeal, not as good as she was, but stronger than ever.

The hardest part of her recovery was dealing with the immense sadness that we as Iranians tend to express during situations like this. At a time when optimism and positivism is the most key, we tend to drift into a hand-wringing ritual of utter despair and hopelessness. I remember when Niosha would host "get well" parties at her house, that were thrown on a weekly basis and the house was full of flowers, it seemed that it was Niosha who would have to raise the spirits of the others, instead of the other way around. Niosha said, "It just felt right, to look after entertaining the others, and making sure they had their snacks and chaies and because in doing so, I didn't really have the time to worry about my own emotions."

Indeed keeping her mind off of her own predicament, turned into a new project, this time to inform and educate other cancer patients that she became aware of, and this led to Niosha working with one of the Iranian satellite TV stations to produce a call-in program for women and those with cancer, in which the issues, questions and details of dealing with the disease were discussed openly offering a much needed outlet and exposure, that was widely received and callers from all over the world called in to express their gratitude to her for bringing the show to Iranians everywhere.

It is also necessary to mention that during this entire process, as a result of the harsh chemicals bombarding her system, Niosha had gained close to 40 pounds and lost virtually all of her patented long Persian flowing hair. The reality of facing death, combined with the traditional ego-hit for an Iranian woman, when it comes to her beauty and vitality, was only punctuated by the fact that Niosha was a former beauty pageant winner. So the change in her appearance was doubly difficult to digest.

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NDA Classes in San Jose

Niosha's Road to Recovery
But after her successful recovery, Niosha rebounded with a renewed and intensified life force and literally the day after being given the go ahead by her doctors, returned once again to her true passion, Dance.

As a testament to her ordeal, Niosha has kept herself and NDA involved in the fight against cancer, and she has become a committed champion and inspiration among her fellow survivors and of course all women actively fighting their own battles with this nefarious disease.

Here in the Bay Area, through her connection with the American Cancer Society, she is one ACS' most active supporters and fund raisers.

Helping to raise awareness and funds for cancer research and treatment programs here, led Niosha to find out about various programs inside Iran, even though because of her involvement in dance, she is on the government's ridiculous cultural banned list, and cannot herself go to Iran at this time.

She has nonetheless turned her attention to her homeland and an organization called The Mahak Foundation. Mahak specializes in the treatment and programs to aid children with cancer. A mother of 2 boisterous boys before her cancer, Niosha was told by doctors after her recovery that she could not expect to have children again. This too turned out to be wrong and less than a year after her recovery Niosha was pregnant with her 3rd son Rameen-John (get it?). This was what made the Mahak story so compelling and the primary reason why Niosha chose to direct her attention towards this worthy cause.


NDA Instructors Elham, Shadi, and Kimia
As a way to raise funds for ACS and Mahak, Niosha came up with the brilliant idea to put on an annual showcase of her dancers in the Bay Area. Now in it's 6th year, the show has become a hallmark Bay Area event drawing famous stars like Aref, Bijan Mortazavi, and Martik to come from LA and beyond to show their support. Each class of students from as small as 5 years old, all the way up to adults perform traditional and modern dances in lavish costumes, having spent weeks perfecting their moves, with live music and lights and backgrounds. The event is more and more extravagant each year. It has become a community tradition and more importantly has now successfully raised over $50,000 since it's start.

So, a happy ending? All's well that ends well? In this crazy world we live in, who knows? But as I started to say, it's really nice to once in a while be able to write a story like this one. Being witness to someone as dedicated and true, Niosha is a real cultural Icon, a local hero and champion, but one can especially say that, at a time when being Iranian is not exactly perceived well, she is also a multi-national treasure.

[RedWine]

بنفشه صياد (دختر پرويز صياد) رقصنده ايرانی، مدتيه که با هنر خودش يعنی تلفيق رقص ايرانی با رقص اسپانيولی و چينی نظر خيلی ها را به کار خودش جلب کرده. در مورد سبک رقص بنفشه و برنامه هاش با او گقتگويی انجام داديم

بنفشه صياد: اين نوع رقص حرکاتيه که آدم رو می بره به سوی خلسه. در اين کارگاه من با نرمش شروع می کنم و با حرکات يوگا و بعد چند جور حرکات مختلف که بعضی از اونها از دراويش قادری الهام گرفته شده.

هدف از اين نوع رقص چيه؟

هدف "رقص وحدت" ايجاد احساس يکی شدنه با بقيه عالم. اون هم از طريق حرکت و گوش دادن به موسيقی.

لطفاً در مورد کارگاه رقص معاصر يا رقص مدرن ايرانی بيشتر توضيح بدين.

من هنوز دنبال اين موضوع هستم که رقص کهن ايرانی چه چيزی می تونسته باشه. رقصی که در اصل اسطوره ايه و مرتبط است به اشعار حافظ و مولانا.

وقتی که در مورد اون دوران مطالبی می خونيم، آيا از رقص ايرانی هم اسمی برده شده؟

من زياد به اين موضوع بر نخوردم.

پس در حقيقت شما اين رقص ها رو تصور می کنيد؟

بله. تصور می کنم. به هر حال همه هنرهای يک جامعه به هم مرتبط هستند و من حس کردم اون رقصی که ما به عنوان رقص شهری و امروزه قبول کرديم، زياد مرتبط با موسيقی سنتی نيست. بنابراين دنبال رقصی بودم که بتونه اين هنر رو بازگو بکنه.

شما از چه نوع موسيقی استفاده می کنيد؟

برنامه هايی که من اجرا می کنم اکثراً با موسيقی زنده است. مثلاً با گروه "زربانگ" و يا پژمان حدادی کار کردم که اين موسيقی ها رو همزمان با رقص من ساخته اند. اين نوع موسيقی در حقيقت موسيقی سنتی هست که در اون نشانه های از موسيقی مدرن و امروزی هم ديده ميشه. موسيقی سنتی ما، ولی به زبان امروز.

کسانی که در کارگاه شما شرکت می کنند معمولاً چه تيپ آدم های هستند؟

افرادی مختلف. در اسپانيا بيشتر رقصنده های حرفه ای يا معلم رقص هستند. در بعضی از کلاس هام حتی افراد مبتدی هم شرکت می کنند. اسپانيايی ها حس می کنند که نکات مشترکی با فرهنگ ما دارند و براشون جالبه که درباره فرهنگ ايرانی بيشتر بدونند.

خانم صياد، شما خودتون کجا تعليم رقص ديده ايد؟

من هميشه از بچگی می رقصيدم و يک جورايی خودم به خودم رقص رو ياد دادم. با اينکه ما ايرانی ها خيلی علاقه به رقصيدن داريم، اما رقص جای به خصوصی توی فرهنگ ما نداره. وقتی به آمريکا مهاجرت کردم، از سن ۱۷ سالگی به کلاس های تعليم رقص رفتم و رقص های مختلف اسپانيايی رو ياد گرفتم. بعد از اون رقص های مختلف ديگه ای رو ياد گرفتم و بعد از موسيقی ايرانی و اشعار مولانا تعليم رقص خودم را گرفتم. بعد از اون در دانشگاه UCLA فوق ليسانس طراحی رقص رو گرفتم. در اين مدت هم رقص های هندی، مدرن و آفريقايی رو هم تعليم گرفتم.

فرض کنيد من به کلاس شما اومدم و دارم رقص وحدت رو ياد می گيرم. بعد می خواهم در منزل اين رقص رو تمرين بکنم. چجوری بايد تمرين بکنم؟

اگر يک رقصنده حرفه ای باشيد، من سی دی های کارهايم رو در اختيار شاگردهايم قرار ميدم که بتونند با موسيقی اون کار کنند. ولی بعضی ها رقصنده حرفه ای نيستند و با قصد اينکه بيشتر بتونند توی بدنشون حضور داشته باشند به کلاس های من می آيند. من آموزش ميدم که چجوری با بدن رفتار کنيم و چطور اون رو بيشتر زنده کنيم.

[RedWine]

The Hallmarks of the Persian Style

The first time I saw Iranians dance at a party, in the Tehrani style, I was enchanted. Like Persian poetry and visual arts, the dance was delicate, intricate, subtle, and full of meaning. Delicate hand movements, gentle upper body undulations, and facial expressions were the essential elements of this dance. Persian classical dance is very similar to the Tehrani-style recreational dance, but the execution is more refined and sophisticated, so as to be suitable for presentation to an audience. Unlike Arabic dance, which emphasizes movements of the hips, or western ballet, where the legs are lifted and feet moved in intricate patterns, the movements of Persian classical dance mostly involve the upper body: the face, head, torso, and hands. Professional dancers may also dance with tea glasses or finger cymbals to mark the rhythm. The movements require extreme flexibility and grace of the upper body and varied facial expressions, including moving both eyebrows independently. Indeed, Persian classical dance emphasizes feeling, rather than movement. The dancer teases the audience with her coquettish glances, and displays a variety of expressions: reluctance, joy, sensuality, pride, laughter. Of course, the arms move, and turns and small hip movements are part of the style. But movement without expression cannot be considered true Persian style; the mere movement of the body through space where there is no expression of emotion seems empty and uninteresting to the Iranian audience.

A Definition of "Classical" Dance

Here, perhaps, I should take a moment to define what I mean by "classical" dance, and, in particular, classical Persian dance. I distinguish several types of Iranian dance, including performance and recreational dance. By recreational dance, I mean the kind of dance that people do together for fun at social occasions like weddings and parties. Performance dance is dance done by an individual or a group for others to watch, not to join in. Classical dance is performance dance that has a tradition, is taught and maintained through the generations, whether by schools, dance masters, or by any student-teacher relationship.

My First Training in Persian Classical Dance

In 1974 I began to study Persian dance with Leona Wood, the noted artist, choreographer, and, with Anthony Shay, co-founder of the AMAN Folk Ensemble. Miss Wood had gleaned information about Persian classical dance from a variety of sources. Her first encounter was in a night club; the dancer was advertised as a "belly dancer", and though she wore the standard belly dance costume and danced to Arabic music, her dancing was unlike any belly-dancing Miss Wood had ever seen. Though the dancer herself was coarse and low-class, her movements showed the subtleties of the Persian classical style. Miss Wood was also acquainted with an upper-class Iranian lady, who showed her the genteel dancing she had been taught as a little girl. It was Miss Wood’s combination of these two styles that formed my own first instruction in Persian classical dance.

In Persian nightclubs I could watch Iranian women dance in the Tehrani style. The women danced in couples, with men or other women, or in groups. In the groups, they played a sort of dance game; the dancers stood in a circle moving slightly to the music and clapping or snapping their fingers. One after the other, those in the circle were cajoled, teased, and eventually pushed into the center of the circle, to dance a little solo for the group. Each woman had her own specialty within the Persian style: gentle shoulder shakes, head or eyebrow movements, and delicate hand movements.

Historical Background

The seeds of modern Persian classical dance were sown during the Qajar dynasty (1780-1906). Fath ‘Ali Shah (1798-1834) in particular devoted a great deal of the royal treasury to all forms of art, including dance. He was said to have “maintained a stately court and a large harem or anderun full of ladies groomed to the perfection of Persian taste for the amusement and pleasure of the Shah” [Qajar Paintings, S.J. Falk, p.23]. His successor, his grandson Muhammad Shah, furthered the support of dance, and “the dancing girls, those lavishly decorated women who typified the luxurious living of the monarchy” [Qajar Paintings, S.J. Falk, p.24].

“The most beautiful women in Persia are devoted to the profession of dancing; the transparency of their shift, which is the only covering they use to conceal their persons, the exquisite symmetry of their forms, their apparent agitation, and the licentiousness of their verses, are so many incentives to a passion which requires more philosophy than the Persians possess to restrain.” [Edward Scott Waring. A Tour to Sheeraz. London, 1807. p. 55]
After the Constitutional Revolution of 1906, Persia became increasingly influenced by the West, largely as a result of political intrigues with Russia, England, and Germany. The decline in the monarchy was paralleled by a decline in the support and status of dancers.
Thus the Persian professional classical dance tradition was maintained by prostitutes and courtesans; these women, and also dancing boys, were the only public performers. Particularly in urban areas professional dancers traditionally performed with troops of musicians, singers, comedians, actors, and other entertainers, These itinerant groups performed on the street and could be hired for weddings and other festivities. Their perfor