Azerbaijani Dance Workshop

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

<P>Part of a once monthly summer intensive series on Azeri dance. Includes lessons in classical Azeri stage technique, choreography, gliding walks, and social dance taught by Nancy Rose Aktas. Students have an opportunity to perform in a future dance show.</P>
<H2><BR></H2>
<H2>Nancy Rose Aktas</H2>
<P>Master Instructor and Costume Designer</P>
<P>Nancy Rose Aktas began her 45+ year long career in dance in New York at age 13. Fully trained in modern dance, classical ballet, and various ballroom styles, she has also studied, taught, choreographed, costumed, and performed the dances of Azerbaijan, Daghestan, Georgia, Kabardinia, North India, Eastern Turkestan, Persia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.</P>
<P>She was the founding co-director of two SF Bay Area dance companies, Silk Road Ensemble and Kafkaz Dance Company in the 1980’s and 1990’s, and for 5 years was co-owner and lead instructor of the ballroom studio Dance Arts Izmir, with her husband Gurbuz Aktas, in Turkey. She represented Azerbaijan (“Terekeme”) and Uzbekistan (“Zang”) as a featured soloist of SF’s Ethnic Dance Festival in 1993 and 1994.</P>
<P>Since early 2012 she has been working closely with international dance artist, scholar and archeologist Farima Berenji on the Lioness project. Now located in Sonoma County, CA, she creates theatrical costumes for ethnic performers worldwide. Pieces from her New Leaf Traditions collections are currently in use by Farima Dance, Antonia Minnecola, Marin Ballet School, College of Marin, all in SF’s Bay Area, Caravan Dancers of Kentucky, Yana Kusayeva of NYC, etc. International clientele include the Parvaz Group of Stockholm, Sweden, Aleksandra Afsanesara of Warsaw, Poland, and the Turkish Folk Music Conservatory of Izmir, Turkey.</P>

Vision Dance & Pilates Center

Our {communityGuidelinesLink} describe the sort of content we prohibit on Eventbrite. If you suspect an event may be in violation, you can report it to us so we can investigate.

To report other categories of prohibited or illegal content, submit {link}

Azerbaijani Dance Workshop

More events from Farima Berenji

Discover more events from Farima Berenji, from Arts to other experiences you might love.

Still looking for the right event?

Explore all events in San Jose and filter by date, category, and more to find the perfect fit.

Azerbaijani Dance Workshop

More events from Farima Berenji

Discover more events from Farima Berenji, from Arts to other experiences you might love.

You might also like...

Browse more events with different dates, prices, and formats to find your next great experience.

Still looking for the right event?

Explore all events in San Jose and filter by date, category, and more to find the perfect fit.