Tag: Dance
Ballet Afsaneh: Rhythms of the Heart – Tajik/Uzbek dance – YouTube
Ballet Afsaneh: New Afghan Dance – Parwaz – YouTube
Nomad Dancers-About Us
Nomad Dancers (via Nomad Dancers-About Us.) is a collective inspired by traditions of India, Persia, Central Asia, Middle East, and Turkey, traveling across borders and bridging cultures in search of the ultimate dance experience. The Nomad Dancers proudly present Persian, Afghan, Tajik, Azeri, Uzbek, Uighur, and Ottoman Turkish traditional folkloric dances, as well as Bollywood and Fusion choreographies, at cultural events, celebrations and festivals in the Washington DC metropolitan area and beyond. The individual Nomad Dancers’ fascination and interests in the graceful, playful, colorful, and rich dance traditions from across this vast region, coupled with the dancers’ myriad experiences and talents, have inspired a varied repertoire of dances and glorious costumes prepared by the Nomad Dancers themselves.
While the Nomad collective itself is a relatively new phenomenon, created in December 2008, each of the individual dancers brings years of professional experience in various dance styles to the group, and have performed in venues ranging from universities and embassies to Washington DC’s Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, to the majestic Registan Square in Samarkand, Uzbekistan; from across the United States to Italy, Greece, Cyprus, India and Afghanistan. The Nomad collective is dedicated to bringing master teachers from around the world to help us refine our skills and craft our choreographies, better enabling us to bring diverse audiences together, and to spread cultural awareness of the region.
U.N. Day – October 2010
Nomad Dancers performed traditional dances in colorful costumes enhanced by the charming natural setting of the National Georgraphic Society courtyard as part of the celebration of the 65th Birthday of the United Nations.
Photos by Ellie Van Houtte Photography www.ellievanhoutte.com and Maria Dittrich.
- Selection of photos from our 2010 summer and fall performances
Performances include International Children’s Festival at Wolf Trap, International Children’s Festival Preview at Fairfax Corner, Reston Multicultural Festival, 8th Annual Washington DC Turkish Festival, and Children of Persia’s 7th Annual Walk 4 Children. Nomad Dancers premiered two new Uzbek dances and a passionate Russian Gypsy dance!
Meridian’s 4th Annual International Children’s Festival – May 2010
Nomad Dancers performed at this educational fun-fair that brought together the DC community and the diplomatic corps of Washington, D.C., as embassies hosted booths representing their country and culture. Nomad Dancers’ performance featured Persian, Afghani, and Uighur-style dance from the Kashgar region.
Norouz Around the World Concert – March 2010
Nomad Dancers presented a festival of dance traditions to celebrate the Persian New Year in Alexandria, VA. Guest performers: Kardelen Turkish Dance Ensemble, Raqs Jameel, Skyline Showstoppers, and special guest artists Olimdjon Beknazarov and Simone Verduin.
5th Annual Norouz Celebration at Philadelphia Museum of Art – March 2010
Nomad Dancers performed three shows with Rangeen Kaman youth dance company at this whole-day event to celebrate the Persian New Year.
From Uzbekistan to India, Turkey to Afghanistan, the Ballet Afsaneh Art and Culture Society brings to the stage the vibrant sights and sounds of the ancient route through Asia known as the Silk Road.
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From Uzbekistan to India, Turkey to Afghanistan, the Ballet Afsaneh Art and Culture Society brings to the stage the vibrant sights and sounds of the ancient route through Asia known as the Silk Road. Spark sits in as they rehearse Sharlyn Sawyer’s “Song of Generations,” a multi-generational collaboration with the Nejad World Music Daf Ensemble that celebrates Persian culture and history.
A crossroads of trade in ideas as well as goods, the 7,000-mile-long Silk Road connected the empires of Byzantium, the Ottomans, India, Persia and Mongolia with Western Europe for more than 2,000 years. Combining music, poetry and dance, Ballet Afsaneh’s performances offer a richly textured perspective on cultures that originate in modern-day Iran, Tajikstan, Uzbekhistan and Afghanistan — an alternative to the usual news about political upheaval and war in that region.
Founded in 1986 by California native Sawyer, Ballet Afsaneh’s repertoire spans the traditional as well as the contemporary, with colorful dances created by Sawyer in collaboration with the other members of the troupe. Sawyer’s training includes both Eastern and Western dance styles, and she focuses on preserving and presenting the traditional dances of women from the various countries that make up Central Asia and Asia Minor.
Lyrical, classically influenced dances like Barg e Behesht — with its expressive, twining arms and graceful movements under a canopy of blue silk representing the sky — evoke the elegant storytelling traditions of the Persian courts. In contrast, the company’s Uzbekh repertoire includes dances in the playful Bukhuran style as well as the softer, more emotional Ferghana style, which reenacts celebrations, such as weddings and festivals.
A troupe mainly composed of women, Ballet Afsaneh also showcases its members in the traditional folkloric and ritual dances of Afghanistan, such as the Loghari and Attan, as a response to the religious and political strife that has kept women from dancing or performing in public in Afghanistan during the rule of the Taliban.
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Ballet Afsaneh, the professional performance ensemble of the Afsaneh Art & Culture Society, is based in the San Francisco Bay Area of California in the USA. This dynamic group presents performances and activities featuring dance, poetry, and music of the Silk Road —the historic trade route stretching 7,000 miles across the continenet of Eurasia from the China Sea in the east to the Mediterranean in the west. The Ballet Afsaneh repertoire displays a wide range, from the glittering lyricism of fairytale to incisive, thought provoking, contemporary work.
Traditional repertoire includes dances representing; Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Armenia, Turkey, Chinese Turkistan, Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, and North India. In our rapidly changing world the need for cultural understanding and preservation has never been greater; Ballet Afsaneh brings to light the history, poetry, iconography, and spiritual heart of these enduring cultures. Promoting positive visibility for these expressive arts in all of their beauty and richness, so that such cultural treasures can be shared by the world.
Many of the 15 core dancers, poets and musicians performing with the company are from Central Asian families, a majority are women. Ballet Afsaneh often performs at large mainstream venues and provides programming for many smaller, community-oriented events as well. The company occasionally tours both nationally and internationally.
Past Performance Highlights
Since its founding by Artistic Director Sharlyn Sawyer in 1986, Ballet Afsaneh and the Afsaneh Art & Culture Society have produced critically acclaimed programs for San Francisco’s M.H. De Young Museum, the Asian Art Museum, British Museum in London, and the Cabrillo Music Festival. They have been honored by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom for producing the annual Norooz (Persian New Year) event at SF City Hall, and are featured regularly in San Francisco’s Ethnic Dance Festival at the Palace of Fine Arts Theater. The company has toured in Central Asia and sponsors international artists during their visits to the United States.
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Links to video of Ballet Afsaneh performing can be found here.
TAJIK DANCE INITIATIVE
Tajikistan July – August 2011
During the summer of 2011 six members of our performing arts ensemble were able to travel once again to Tajikistan. The group included dance artists Kristen Sague, Hannah Romanowsky, Mariam Gaibova, Emelie Coleman, musician/composer Neema Hekmat, and Sharlyn Sawyer (ostad Sharlyn) director/artist AACS-BA. The purpose of our journey would be to renew friendships with our Tajik counterparts through TDI now a fully independent local Tajik arts organization based in Dushanbe. During our stay we would have the opportunity to study dance, collaborate with local artists and perform in various settings, and inspire future joint projects.What follows are first hand accounts of the travels and adventures of 2011, as experienced by Afsaneh Art & Culture Society – Ballet Afsaneh members, and honored dance artists/scholars Hannah Romanowsky and Kristen Sague.
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Further Links