1/28/2008

The Story We Never Heard

He says: "I was 9 when I started Ballet in Tehran. I had never seen ballet before in my life. My uncle was friends with Bijan Kalantari, who was a ballet dancer and a choreographer himself, and wanted to start the first Iranian ballet company from ground up, entirely with Iranian dancers, hoping to be able to perform internationally. Of the 14 students in the newly founded ballet program at Tehran's Music Conervatory (Honarestan-e-Ali-e-Moosighi), there were 12 girls and only two boys. I was one of them."
Seldom in my life have I felt such passion about a story, whether I have heard it, or I have told it myself. I am getting ready to tell you the story of a fascinating man. I have never met him. On the phone, he has one of the kindest, most honest, most confident voices I have ever heard. His winning charm is in his story, true, but there is something so Iranian about him, so belonging to the land I love. Brace yourselves. Soon you will see a gem uncovered, and I should hope that you know me modest enough to believe me when I tell you that the beauty of this story is only in the person who is at the center of it, nothing to do with the storyteller. I will just tell you the story. Give me a week. Be good y'all.

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow !!! At last I got to your comments page.... Your writings are b'ful as always. Only a small, not very important, most probabely a misspelling error. Hasti in Persian is written with "he-ye do cheshm" and not "he-ye jimi" Take care dearest and keep writing...

Leva said...

Oh oh
I know how much you love this story and how much you have worked on it. I cant wait to read that. Will you provide pictures or videos too?

Anonymous said...

I know him! Isn't he Farshad :P
As far as I know you are a great storyteller! I've heard you one time!

Shadi said...

wow! great! I know how close to your heart is this story. I can't wait to read it, like Leva I hope there will be pictures and video
Much love,

احسان الف said...

Looking forward to it nazy jan.

Daisy said...

Nazy jon mokhlesim :)
I look forward to reading your Khosrow and Shirin story as well as this last story which you talked about.
I'm sure by the time you start writing about relationship, your blog will be more popular that ever. There is a mystery about relationship and love that everyone wants to know even the happiest couples.

As for the relationship piece, I'm the last person from the planet of Venus who should say any word about relationship. Do ask why just believe me;) But I can't wait for the Valentines’ day to read your perspective about relationship. takecare

me said...

Nazy jan,
You know exactly how to make us await your story even more impatiently, don't you? :D

Anonymous said...

I am biting my nails and waiting in anticipation!

Nazy said...

Salam Farideh Jan:

Boy, I'm glad you could come and leave a comment, so that my other friends could meet you, too!

Everybody, this is beautiful and articulate Farideh from Tehran. She and I have been corresponding because she couldn't leave messages up unil now.

Farideh Jan. Thank you for your advice. The word is actually "Hessi," not "Hasti." That character on top is not donoghteh, it is a tashdid, but it looks that way. If you read it again and you still think I'm wrong, I'll be happy to oblige.

I hope you can come back again soon, and that you can leave me your wonderful thoughts. Be good and enjoy the beautiful snowy Tehran.

Nazy said...

Hee Hee, Leva Joonam:

I knew you would recognize the story from last summer. Of course there will be pictures and videoclips. The artist is going through some redtape right now to "borrow" some copyrighted footage to share with us (you will soon know why there is so much redtape associated with his works).

Stay tuned my wonderful friend!

Anonymous said...

سلام نازی جونم
این شبیر عزیز ما باز هم از آن شیطنت های سنی کرده است !!!
حضرت خضر ما این روز ها خیلی شاد است !!
خوب من که منتظر داستان او هستم
شاد باشی عزیزم

Nazy said...

Ha Ha, Shobeir, that was a very good guess, but it's not Universal Farsad! I promise you that when I tell you who he is, there is something about him which would be very very familiar and known to you and everyone else.

Az khandeh mordam, just as I am typing this reply, in comes Farshad! Hi Farshad! Yes, Shobeir is very sheitoon and sare hal today!

Be good Shobeir Jan, and come back to read the story when it is ready. I know you will like it.

Anonymous said...

آره نازی جونم من هم هستم
خیلی جالبه نه ؟؟
من هم خیلی خندیدم
راستی خیلی مشتاقم ببینم این کیه !!!

Nazy said...

Salam Golabi Jan.

Yes, as I said to Leva, there will be plenty for you guys to see, plenty unbelievalbe material, to be sure.

This story is very near to my heart for a number of reasons. First is that I searched and found an artist who, for whatever reason, didn't really make any attempts at being found! That is a story on and of itself. I will tell you the story of how I found him.

Then, I lost all my notes after I talked to him and didn't have the heart to go back (room nemishod).

Next, he found me and made contact with me!

Then, I interviewed him again and got the story down.

He is a very special man in so many different ways. When I tell you the story you will see just what I mean. It is rather incredible. Soon I will tell it my friend.

Golabi Jan, can you write me a short email, so that I can get your email address? I want to ask you a question about something I have seen on your blog. The gmail address attached to your comments doesn't work and bounces my messages back. nazyk at hotmail dot com.

Take care and have a good night with that gorgeous baby.

Nazy said...

Salam Ehsan Jan:

I have missed you! I'm glad you wrote a post finally. But you write about something techical and I have no idea what comment to leave you now!

I will tell the many stories and the artist's story real soon. Take care.

Nazy said...

Salam Daisy-e Sheitoon:

Mokhelsim, ha? That was so sweet!

I'm sure there is so much that you can share with the relationships piece. I will write it in a series, as I mentioned before, first talking about Iranians and how we are raised to believe in relationships. Then, how Iranians might find each other, the dating (or moaasherat) phase, the decision to get married, the khastegari, and the marriage or long-term partnership. Please do write me an email and share your thoughts, as I am desperately seeking for information I don't personally have! Ha ha, pretty guttsy of me to try writing about something I don't understand very well myself, huh? The thing of it is, that with so many negative books about Iran and Iranians and the darker side of what happens in Iranian society right now, I want to write something positive about how seriously Iranians do take relationships, commitment, and marriages, and how for the most part, Iranians believe in marriage, family, and loyalty.

Do share if you can. I would use your thoughts, I promise. Be good Daisy Joonam.

Nazy said...

Sheni, Sheni, where have you been? I miss you girl.

Ha Ha, I did all of that just to get you to come and leave me a comment! Just kidding. There really is a beautiful story I want to share with you all. Just pray that I can do it justice, as it has never been told before and I have the honor to tell it now.

Come back again soon. Take care my lovely friend.

Nazy said...

Ha Ha, Assal Jan! I can just see you biting your nails! You crack me up! I will tell it soon. Come back again soon my beautiful friend.

Nazy said...

Farshad, Farshad,

You will know who he is soon enough and it will make you happy to know who he is. I promise. He is a very exceptional man. Each part of this man's life is a story in and of itself. I might actually write a longer version for you guys with more details than the one I will have published elsewhere.

He is so unpretentious and when he talks about his amazing life, I can't help but see how humble he is. He is very funny, too, and has funny anecdotes and side stories to tell, too.

I will stop talking about him and wait for your reaction to my piece when it is ready.

Take care doost-e azizam, Farshad Jan.

Anonymous said...

وای نازی جونم خیلی ممنونم
من هم قول میدم اون رو تو جلسه ی خصوصی هفتگی برای الف شین ، شبیر ، مریم و ایمان بخونم و بر تو درود بفرستیم
مرسی عزیزم
منتظرش هستم

Nazy said...

Farshad Jan:

I'm getting ready to share the story soon. Tell me what you think when you read it. Be good Uni-Far Jan.