Iran Repertoire
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Ballet Afsaneh performs regional folkdances of Iran and the greater Persian cultural zone as well as traditional classical dance or ‘Art Dance’ based on classical poetry and Persian historic motifs. In addition the repertoire includes creative contemporary pieces inspired by iconographic Persian themes, such as Raqs-e Taavus: Dance of the Peacock, and also modern incisive work addressing contemporary global and social issues. The connection of dance and the ritual devotion of spiritual practice are explored in works such as Dayereh Hasti: Circle of Life.
Current Classical Repertoire:
- Barg-e Behesht: The Gardens of Paradise
- Dayereh Hasti: Circle of Life
- Atash Dar Noor-e Maah: Fire in the Moonlight
- Caravan of Dreams
Current Iranian Folk (Mahali) Repertoire:
- Gilaki, Azeri, Qashqa’i, Armenian, Bandari, Kurdi
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Persian Dance
The historic Persian Empire encompassed a great majority of Central Asia, from the shores of the Mediterranean in the west, through Transoxiana in the north to the borders of China in the east. Persian culture had a profound and lasting influence on the literature and art of the societies in this greater Persian cultural zone. Iran is the name of the country that is at the geographic center of this once vast empire, while Persian cultural influence extends well beyond the borders of present day Iran. The trade routes that linked Central Asia, known historically as the Silk Road, played a pivotal role both in the dissemination of Persian culture and enabled diverse cultures to influence Persian/Iranian art throughout history.
Persian dance can be loosely divided between rural 'folk' dances and dances that arose in an urban setting, such as classical or 'art dance' as its sometimes referred to. Although historic in nature, the genre of Persian classical dance in the Ballet Afsaneh repertoire is based on the genre first popularized during the early 1970’s in Iran just prior to the Islamic revolution. At that time the Iranian government devoted generous resources to the performing arts. National dance companies performed programs of both folkloric and classical dance and music at major theaters and palatial halls such Tala Rudaki. Performing arts presentations of this type fell from favor during the early years of the new regime in Iran and many artists from all genres of the expressive arts left the country to pursue careers abroad. At many points in Iran’s long history this cycle of a flourishing artistic community, followed by repression and dispersion, have had a dramatic influence on the arts. As a result, Persian classical dance in particular, is unable to trace an unbroken lineage, periodically undergoing phases of reconstruction both in Iran and in the diaspora.
Classical Persian Dance
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Our repertoire of dances in the classical art style is inspired by Persian poetry and painting. Evoking the shapes and dynamics of Persian decorative art, swirling arabesques of forms inspired by nature, a languid and lyrical movement aesthetic prevails. Persian poetry is often included as a spoken text with the music. The poetic images; nightingales and roses, the moth to the flame, or a bird spreading its wings to fly to freedom, inform the work. In the choreography Barg-e Behesht a blue silk canopy represents the dome of the sky or the heavens, the dancers appearing to float through the air as if in a dream.
Costumes for these dances are evocative of the historic court costumes pictured in paintings of Persian royalty and divine beings such as paris–which are beings related to the apsaras of Buddhist mythology and European fairies or angels.
Visit our Photo Gallery to see more photos from our Persian repertoire.