Shoulder and hip shimmies are signature movements of this dance style.
Bandari dance movements are very grounded, much like African dances, with the hands often held wide open and shaking. This dance style looks so different from Gilaki that it is hard to imagine both dances existing within the same country. The word bandar, meaning port, implies the famous Bandar Abbas, located in southern Iran at the Persian Gulf. The word khalij means gulf-both styles of dance are from the Gulf region, one within the boundaries of Iran and the other in several other countries surrounding the Persian Gulf. The movements include sharp isolations of the hip and beshkan, the Persian snap that uses both hands.Īnother popular folk dance, this one from the southern region by the Persian Gulf, called Bandari, is very similar to Khaliji, a dance popular in several Middle Eastern countries.
For instance, performers of a folk dance from the northern region just below the Caspian Sea in the province of Gilān, referred to as Gilaki dance, wear long skirts with several stripes on the bottom and fringed scarves on their heads. Much like the language, the dances of each region, in addition to the music and attire, are distinct. There are many different tribes in Iran (sometimes multiple tribes within a region) that speak their own dialect and follow their own customs. These dances are intended for the enjoyment of the participants and not necessarily meant to be viewed by an audience. Groups of dancers may contain more than one generation and both genders. So, what does Persian/Iranian dance look like? Well, there are different genres, which I will briefly describe, compare, and contrast.įor almost two decades I have been exploring this rare and beautiful art form, and in my attempts to create a clear definition of Persian dance I have identified three genres.įolk dance, which is tribal, regional, and often part of social ritual and ceremony, is the oldest and most likely the foundation of all other genres. Many ethnic groups, such as Kurds, Lurs, Baluch, Armenians, Assyrians, Turks, and Arabs, inhabit Iran and have their own distinct Iranian language or dialect, customs, music, and dance however, all Iranians learn to speak, read, and write in Persian (also known as Farsi), the official language of Iran. Today’s Persians, the descendants of the ancient Persians, are the dominant ethnic group in Iran. Under the Persian Empire (550-330 BC ) which was founded by Cyrus the Great, the land extended from northwestern China to Egypt and Libya (in the southwest) and Anatolia to Lydia (in the northwest), including Central Asia and today's Middle and Near East. About 2500 years ago, Iran, a country on the map defined by geographical borders, was ruled by the Persians, an Iranian tribe from Persia proper (today's Fars Province). There is some confusion over the use of the terms “Persian” and “Iranian.” Though commonly used interchangeably, the former refers to an ethnicity, whereas the latter refers to a nationality.
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Professional dancers, often choreograph dances that are founded in and stem from these family and community dances. These events are multigenerational, and therefore the dances are passed on from one generation to the next. In every kind of celebration, such as Yalda (the winter solstice), Mehregan (the autumn equinox), Norooz (The spring equinox and the Persian new year), or simply birthday, wedding, or any happy occasion, Persians integrate dancing into the event. Families and friends often gather to enjoy each other's company, during which they prepare great feasts, play both traditional and modern music, sing old and new songs, and dance. Most Middle Eastern dance scholars, however, are aware of the existence of Persian dance as a distinct form, but a scarcity of teachers and information on Persian dance and its history prevents them from becoming familiar with it.ĭance, music, and food are a big part of Persian culture. In fact, the majority of Westerners are under the impression that Persian dance is synonymous with belly dance, which in Iran is referred to as Raghs-e Arabi or Arabic dance. Persian dance seems to be an obscure genre, often confused with other more popular Middle Eastern dance styles, such as Egyptian belly dance.
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