silvy Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 Today I was asked if there is any ballet company in Iran - I had to confess I did not know...... Does anyone know? Thanks Silvy Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 There used to be, up until 1982 (three years after the Revolution). The Iranian National Ballet was closed by the religious authorities and Iranian dancers went elsewhere to dance. There was/is a body calling itself "Les Ballets Persans" in Sweden who style themselves as a memorial company to the Iranian National Ballet, although some of their dancers are from elsewhere. Link to comment
bart Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 An intriguing question, which led me to THIS site, which rcounts the history of ballet in Iran (especially during the Shah's regime): http://artira.com/nimakiann/history/contemporary.html Hope it helps. Link to comment
Amy Reusch Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 Anyone know where Ali Pourfarroukh ended up after directing Alberta Ballet? or where he is now? I remember him teaching at NJ Ballet in ?1978?, and the receptionist was always careful to call him "Persian" rather than "Iranian" because of how strong the anti-Iranian sentiment was those days of the hostage crisis. Link to comment
Bill Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 A bit of a digression, but in her autobiography Suzanne Farrell describes dancing for the Shah -in tents in the desert - as part of the Bejart company. Link to comment
Anne74 Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 I believe that he (Ali Pourfarroukh) was directing and/or teaching at Eglevsky Ballet in Long Island after leaving Alberta Ballet, but I don't know if he still is there or not. Link to comment
Amy Reusch Posted March 18, 2006 Share Posted March 18, 2006 Thanks Anne74, yes... he is... (and I should have remembered that after typing it in on Dance Links' website ages ago). Here's the Eglevsky link if anyone is curious: Eglevsky Ballet directed by Ali Pourfarroukh Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted March 18, 2006 Share Posted March 18, 2006 In the early 60s, the old Robert Joffrey ballet performed in Teheran. Link to comment
miliosr Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 I discovered this Facebook page dedicated to the Iranian National Ballet: https://www.facebook.com/IranianNationalBallet/ Many interesting photos! Link to comment
JMcN Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 I came across this article via Facebook: https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/the-illegal-underground-ballerinas-of-iran?utm_source=broadlytwitterus Link to comment
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