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The Forbidden Art – (Live concert: January 2003 Dance Mission Theater, San Francisco)
“The Forbidden Art” is a title intentionally picked by SDA to bring awareness to the fact that dancing by women is forbidden in Iran today. It has been that way since the revolution of 1978. Although it is not SDA’s intention to make any political statement, it IS our goad to present dance as a beautiful and intellectual art form that can be enjoyed by all. In addition to the recent political restrictions, historically speaking, Persian dance has not been perceived as a legitimate art form.
The origin of Persian dance, like other ethnic dances, is folkloric. Every region of the country has its own community/village, and each village has their own way of dancing and playing music. The dances are done in large groups, and often for rituals. Today, these folk dances are replicated, and sometimes modified, for stage presentations. Aside from folk dance, Court dance (sometimes called Classical Persian Dance, or Art Dance) now exists, which is staged for entertainment purposes. Yet neither style of dance has gained the recognition given to other art forms, such as Theater, Music, Poetry, Calligraphy, Painting, etc. It is the company's mission to introduce Persian Dance to the non-Persian community, and to reintroduce it to the Iranian community, as a dynamic and expressive art form, equivalent in artistic integrity to other arts. This video includes both traditional and contemporary/fusion pieces.
$38 for video & $43 for DVD (includes shipping)
To order, send a check for $38 for Video or $43 for DVD to Shahrzad Dance Academy, 6262 Bernhard Avenue, Richmond, California 94805 |
