Dance and Rhythm of the Soul

Farima Berenji is an award winning Dance Ethnologist and internationally acclaimed dance artist, choreographer, instructor, and Sufi dance master. Recognized and certified as one of the few world scholarly experts of ancient and mystical Iranian dance ethnology by UNESCO.Farima has worked as a UN scholar, researching and led an excavations team of Iranian archeology emphasizing the preservation of ancient and mystical Iranic dances. Farima teaches her own unique movement and techniques that are researched and inspired during her various studies in Khaneqas (Sufi Houses) and Fire temples of Khorasan, Kurdistan, Tehran, Shiraz, and various areas in Central Asia. Farima has traveled and devoted many years of her life, excavating, researching, and uncovering the mysterious history of ancient warriors and commanders of ancient Persia. Along with her archaeological and dance research Farima has studied ancient battle movements, armory, and the connections between these movements with modern dance form.Farima is one of the few Iranian women who has been allowed to teach, write and perform the Gwati and Vahishta Sema Rituals in Iran and around the world and has been recognized by Iran and UN as the pioneer of bringing back the original mystic Rituals of Khorasan. She is the first Iranian woman to have received the UNESCO award and certification and is currently the dance ambassador of UNESCO, the first Iranian woman artist to receive the National Folk Dance Association award, and the first Iranian woman and dancer to have been chosen to speak and perform for TED Talk.Farima and her collective were the first Iranian, to have been invited and perform during a reception for US President Obama, Governor of Alaska, United Nations, European Union, Ambassador of Canada, and for the Ambassador of Spain.

Farima Berenji

Learn and practice Sufi whirling and music (percussion)

Learn essential Sacred rhythms on percussion with Nariman Assadi and Sufi whirling with Farima Berenji in this combined Sufi sacred music and dance workshop for musicians and dancers. Following the workshop participants will drum and dance in a Sema lead by both masters.Music makes it possible to bring our awareness to the present and feel united with ourselves and the universe. Music is like a journey from the mind to the heart. Whirling dance originated thousands of years ago with the ancient Persians in the practice of devotion, healing, and meditation. Then as today, music, poetry, and movement unite to help connect the body, mind, and soul in harmony and healing.Farima will teach the essentials of whirling meditation including preparation, balance and posture, controlling dizziness, self-focus, breathwork, and more. Nariman will illustrate common Sufi drum rhythms for practice with the participants.Guidelines and Tips<ul><li> Dancers please wear comfortable clothing (white or light colored if possible) and wear socks or soft soled shoes. Avoid eating a large meal 1-2 hours prior.</li><li> Musicians should attend ready to practice Sufi rhythms with their own daf or hand drum.</li></ul>Attend in person with mask at venue in San Jose. For more details and venue visit http://farimadance.com/event/dance-and-rhythm/Nariman AssadiNariman Assadi was born in Hamedan, Iran on January 1, 1992. Raised in Tehran, he always felt drawn to percussion instruments. At the age of thirteen, he began studying tombak under Master Amir Mogharab Samadi. From 2008 to 2013, Nariman performed at Vahdat Hall as a soloist and with the Persian Percussion Ensemble at Pars Academy, the premier music academy for children. After mastering tombak, he then began learning Daf under the great Master Bijan Kamkar. With a strong understanding of the daf and tombak, Nariman started learning barbat (Oud) under Master Mohammad Firouzi.In 2015, Nariman immigrated to the United States. He immediately began his professional music career by performing and attending festivals. In 2017, he started learning percussion performance and world music with Professor Daniel Kennedy at Sacramento State University. Along with being a member of various ensembles, Nariman teaches daf, tombak, other percussions, and music for children in Davis, Sacramento, and the Bay Area. He also offers music classes and workshops online.Farima BerenjiFarima Berenji is an Iranian-born scholar and an award winning, internationally acclaimed performing artist, choreographer, instructor, lecturer, dance ethnologist, Sufi master, and archaeologist specializing in classical, folkloric, and sacred dances of Persia and the Silk Road. Her training spans a lifetime of intensive collaboration and research with master artists, scholars, and spiritual teachers worldwide. She is the founder and artistic director of the Simorgh Dance Collective, a worldwide collaborative devoted to teach dance technique, interpret, illustrate, present, and perform dances of the Silk Road. In 2018, Farima became the first American-Iranian woman honored to be a TEDx dance speaker and performer. Farima is a member of the International Dance Council (CID – UNESCO), UNESCO, and the National Folk Organization (NFO).

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Dance and Rhythm of the Soul

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