I am interested in learning more about Persian dance, a distinct part of the Iranian culture. Due to the negative stigma associated with dancing in some Middle Eastern countries, there is limited information on this form of dance. Regardless, dance is a big part of Persian culture. When families and friends gather together to enjoy each other's company during major celebrations, dancing is a component of their event in addition to food, conversation, and music. According to an Op-ed written by Shahrzad Khorsandi, some of the majoring occasions where the Persians integrate dancing into their events are Yalda or the winter solstice, Mehrega or the autumn equinox, Norooz or the Persian new year, weddings and birthdays.
This topic relates to the Persian language because traditional Persial dance usually uses Persian myth, literature, and poetry with historical themes. Furthermore, it's claimed that these dances are multi-generations or passed from one generation to the next. When the Persian Empire ruled the land, they brought all aspects of their culture, including this form of dance to the region. Another source claimed that dancing in Iran has a significant role in religious rituals of Zoroastrianism. Sometimes, the movements in the dance are a reflection of the words said during a ceremony or a poem. Within this dance, there are different genres, including folk dance, social dance, and classical Persian dance. These various genres have their own type of music, lyrics, movements, and attire.
To properly engage in Persian dance, it is necessary to be familiar with the language. Even for one to decide what form of the Persian dance you want to learn or engage in, it would be helpful to know its name. The name describes what type of dance you will be participating in. For example, Raghse Kurdi (Kurdish dance of Iran) is different than Raghse Shamshiri (Sword Dance) and just knowing what those names mean can help you understand what kind of dance you are getting into. Also, as mentioned before, the movements in the Persian dance is usually the reflection of what the words in the song is saying, so knowing those words will guide you to dance better. For example, when a song talks about someone's eyes, the dancer usually moves his/her hands towards their eyes. But if there is a lack of understanding of the language, it would be tough to learn the dance properly.
I have incorporated dance, music, and poetry of Persian into my learning plan to engage in this topic. Just recently, my tutor had me listen to Persian songs and reflect and analyze what I heard. I was able to understand that most of those songs reflected a big part of the Persian culture that tied to social life.
Sources:
Khorsandi, Shahrzad. “Persian Dance - The Struggle for Identity”. https://www.danceus.org/persian-dance/persian-dance-the-struggle-for-identity/
“Persians Dance”. Persian are not Arabs. https://www.persiansarenotarabs.com/persian-dance/
Replies
Hi Lina,
This is such an informative post! It seems like Persian dance has a deep cultural connection because of all the embedded elements. And I think it's amazing how you incorporated dance, music, and poetry of Persian into your learning plan.
When you mentioned that knowing the words would help guide the dancers, it reminded me of when I did sign language for a Korean song. The instructor made us memorize the lines and analyze the song even before we learned the signs. Knowing the lyrics really did help because if we knew the next line, we would know how to move our hands and body. When watching Persian dances, I wonder if we can understand what the dance is portraying just by looking at the performance (without the words of the song).
This was really interesting to learn about! It reminded me of hula dancing in Hawaii and it seems like Persian dance shares a lot of similar features with hula, which is also used to tell stories. I also thought it was interesting that there are different styles of dance, each with a different purpose.
Thank you, Annabelle. I love hula dancing! When I visited Hawaii recently, I attended a Luau where I got to see some hula dancing. And it's great to learn that hula dancing and Persian dance shares a lot of similar features. Thank you for sharing that.