Shahrokh Moshkin Ghalam performs a dance he choreographed himself, Faryad. I saw him perform this piece on stage last year. I have written about Shahrokh Moshkin Ghalam and his efforts to bring back what was lost of traditional Persian dance when it was banned after Islam. Moshkin Ghalam believes parts of Persian dance can be seen in traditional Indian dances and some in Flamenco dances. A part of the research he is doing is to gather those pieces and re-construct the Persian dance. In his highly athletic as well as expressive dance pieces he tries to show us what he has accomplished so far. I can tell you to watch him perform live is to let yourself be mesmerized!
I wish you all a happy Wednesday everybody. I am working a short day today, so I will write more later!
P.S. Earlier this morning I had posted a clip of Shahrokh Moshkin Ghalam's "Shir Ali Mardan" dance here. I received a comment from kind Cukoo. Reading that comment, I decided to change the clip and show you the one you can see now. This might be a better presentation of the emotion Moshkin Ghalam can put in his work. He is an actor first and foremost, did you know? He is a member of Paris' acclaimed Comedie Francaise. Cukoo Jan, thank you for the reminder and the challenge. I hope you enjoy this. You rock!
4 comments:
Thanks for sharing, I certainly appreciate the time and effort that he has put into the choreography and performance, and it seems quite an improvement over "dances" we see in "Iranian media" ...
but at some level we need to keep ourselves honest, and be fair critics, so I wonder if you really see "artistic expressions" in his dance, or rather a sequence of rhythmic movements similar to martial arts? and the piece seems a bit long and repetitive at more than 8 minutes ...
Cuckoo Jan, Salam:
How lucky for me that you came and visited and commented! O.K. To be fair, if you haven't seen him perform all the pieces which comprise one of his unforgettable performances, this piece might seem a bit dull (they all last about 8 minutes, so no luck there!).
O.K. So, this is what I'll do. I will change that clip to one which shows him do a dance named "Faryad." Watch that one and tell me if you still think he is just going through the motions. He has choreographed that dance in honor of Iranian political prisoners.
Please, please, come back and talk to me, Cukoo! Happy Thanksgiving!
Amazing music, I love many Alizadeh's works, do you know which album this is from?
The performance seemed very challenging to me, he was rotating more than 8 minutes. He certainly has passion and does not "just" go through the motions (in either piece). I liked this piece better than the previous (both music and dance), but I am not really an expert in dance. Also, people have different tastes.
So my first question was really a "question", I was wondering if you enjoy the performances as an artistic expression ...
As for the length, I certainly have a bias toward shorter pieces, partly because I do not understand "dance" very well :)
Best wishes and have a nice holiday!
Dear Cukoo:
Yes, I do see artistic expression in Moshkin Ghalam's work. I also see a lot of love for Iran, its history, and its music.
I am only a spectator of dance as an art form, so I can only relate to it on a very emotional level, and Moshkin Ghalam delivers the goods for me every time!
The music is by Hossein Alizadeh on a poem by Fereidoon Moshiri, and sung by Mohammad Reza Shajarian. The album name is Faryad, which was dedicated to the victims of Bam earthquake in 2000 (?). The album is available as is the DVD of that live performance in Tehran. Here's a clip of that heartwrenching performance. You can see the audience in tears.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jxt8RuZWRaA
I know it isn't a very happy piece with which to step into a holiday, so I apologize for the sad reminder.
Have a glorious weekend and thanks again for your kind comments!
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