BENGALURU: Have you considered learning a new dance form? How about a Persian dance for a change? Bengaluru will host city’s first Persian dance class on February 3 and will be instructed by Anahid Farahani, a city-based dancer, born and brought up in Tehran, Iran.
Anahid, an avid dance enthusiast has been in Bengaluru since 2012, pursuing her education in other dance forms. Currently, she is doing her masters in Bharatanatyam and bachelors in choreography and will be conducting her first workshop on traditional folk dance forms of Iran.Persian dance forms are distinct from Indian forms. However, Anahid points out that the hand and finger movements in Persian forms is as graceful as seen in Bharatnatyam. But, the footwork is completely discrete, she said.
She feels that juggling between Persian dance forms and Bharatnatyam. “Persian dance requires light and airy footwork while Bharatnatyam calls for a very strict legwork. These dance forms are polar opposites in that sense,” Anahid said.Apart from these forms, Anahid is proficient in a wide variety of dance forms including Russian ballet, Kathak, Belly dancing and Contemporary. “Persian folk dance was the second dance form I learnt and was trained by a great Persian master, Farzaneh Kaboli in Iran,” she recalled.
The dance attire is also very similar to the Indian lehenga, and is embroidered in gold and jewellery - which is the highlight of the costume. Gold bangles and gold rings are adorned to emphasise the hand and finger movements during a performace. Necklaces are worn for elegance and so is a gold crown. A peacock feather and a shawl on the head completes the look. A particular type of leather shoes, similar to ballets shoes, are worn. The costume emphasises the theme of dancing in a king’s court.
“India is a world of dances and easily has over 3,000 dance forms. People can relate to Persian dance because many varieties have originated from it,” concluded Anahid. She is looking forward to create a fusion among the dance forms she is learning in the future.