Shahrokh Moshkin Ghalam
Encyclopedia
Shahrokh Moshkin Ghalam is an Iran
ian modern dancer trained and based in Paris
. A graduate in History of Art and Theatre from the University of Paris
8, he is choreographer, actor, and director. In addition, he is the founder and former artistic director of Nakissa Art Company.
, but spent his early teens in Paris trained in various styles of dance. His choreography style is usually based on Persian classical music that brings Persian myths
, poetry, and dance together to create an atmosphere of magical quality.
He has danced in Seven Pavilions of Love, Sohrab and Gordafarid, and Khosrow and Shirin. In his Dance-Mythologic (a collection of Dances based on Persian mythology
) piece, Shahrokh is a story teller translating the lines from thousands of years ago into movements familiar to today's audience all over the world. In Moshkin Ghalam’s view, movement is to convey a message; he does not believe in using movement for the sake of movement. His extensive training in world dances, along with his open-mindedness, allows him to take all that he feels necessary from other cultures, add to it, or sometimes re-invent it each time in a new context for a different purpose.
"I came to realize the importance of my roots, my heritage, my being Iranian after I left Iran. It happened over the course of my six-year collaboration with Ariane Mnouchkine, who reminded us that every single one of us, who came from all over the world, had something to contribute to this magical world of theatre." "I turned to our myths, our legends, our great epic Shahnameh
and tried to learn as much as I could."
Shahrokh draws inspiration from diverse Eastern traditions to create a unique style of dance. Persian, Kurdish, Sufi
and India
n influences blend with a contemporary training in both dance and theatre.
. Dance Variations on Persian themes created in 2007 is his last work which is a collection of his best choreographies performed with Karine Gonzaleshttp://www.karinegonzalez.com/agenda/agenda.htm the major dancer of his company. His Omar Khayyam Ballet inspired by the Quatrains of 12 century Persian poet Omar Khayyam
has been performed in Paris, London, Stockholm, New York and Los Angeles, The Mythological Danses inspired by the three love stories (Khosrow and Shirin, Bahram and Dorsatti, Sohrab and Gordafarid) is also a very successful series of Persian dance
s which has been performed in Europe and North America several times.
He has played and directed plays in Persian including:
Since 2004 he has been an official member of La Comédie Française one of the most prestigious theatre companies in Europe and has taken part in plays including:
along with 266 other Iranian academics, writers, artists, journalists about the Persecution of Bahá'ís
.
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian modern dancer trained and based in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. A graduate in History of Art and Theatre from the University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
8, he is choreographer, actor, and director. In addition, he is the founder and former artistic director of Nakissa Art Company.
Style
He was born and spent his very early youth in IranIran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, but spent his early teens in Paris trained in various styles of dance. His choreography style is usually based on Persian classical music that brings Persian myths
Persian mythology
Persian mythology are traditional tales and stories of ancient origin, some involving extraordinary or supernatural beings. Drawn from the legendary past of the Iranian cultural continent which especially consists of the state of Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Central Asia, they reflect the...
, poetry, and dance together to create an atmosphere of magical quality.
He has danced in Seven Pavilions of Love, Sohrab and Gordafarid, and Khosrow and Shirin. In his Dance-Mythologic (a collection of Dances based on Persian mythology
Persian mythology
Persian mythology are traditional tales and stories of ancient origin, some involving extraordinary or supernatural beings. Drawn from the legendary past of the Iranian cultural continent which especially consists of the state of Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Central Asia, they reflect the...
) piece, Shahrokh is a story teller translating the lines from thousands of years ago into movements familiar to today's audience all over the world. In Moshkin Ghalam’s view, movement is to convey a message; he does not believe in using movement for the sake of movement. His extensive training in world dances, along with his open-mindedness, allows him to take all that he feels necessary from other cultures, add to it, or sometimes re-invent it each time in a new context for a different purpose.
"I came to realize the importance of my roots, my heritage, my being Iranian after I left Iran. It happened over the course of my six-year collaboration with Ariane Mnouchkine, who reminded us that every single one of us, who came from all over the world, had something to contribute to this magical world of theatre." "I turned to our myths, our legends, our great epic Shahnameh
Shahnameh
The Shahnameh or Shah-nama is a long epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi between c.977 and 1010 AD and is the national epic of Iran and related societies...
and tried to learn as much as I could."
Shahrokh draws inspiration from diverse Eastern traditions to create a unique style of dance. Persian, Kurdish, Sufi
Sufism
Sufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n influences blend with a contemporary training in both dance and theatre.
Performed Works
In 2002 the Royal Opera House of Covent Garden invited him to perform Seven Pavilion Ballet based on the works of great Persian poet NezamiNezami
Nizami Ganjavi , Nizami Ganje'i, Nizami, or Nezāmi , whose formal name was Niẓām ad-Dīn Abū Muḥammad Ilyās ibn-Yūsuf ibn-Zakkī ,was a 12th-century Persian poet. Nezāmi...
. Dance Variations on Persian themes created in 2007 is his last work which is a collection of his best choreographies performed with Karine Gonzaleshttp://www.karinegonzalez.com/agenda/agenda.htm the major dancer of his company. His Omar Khayyam Ballet inspired by the Quatrains of 12 century Persian poet Omar Khayyam
Omar Khayyám
Omar Khayyám was aPersian polymath: philosopher, mathematician, astronomer and poet. He also wrote treatises on mechanics, geography, mineralogy, music, climatology and theology....
has been performed in Paris, London, Stockholm, New York and Los Angeles, The Mythological Danses inspired by the three love stories (Khosrow and Shirin, Bahram and Dorsatti, Sohrab and Gordafarid) is also a very successful series of Persian dance
Persian dance
Persian dance refers to the type of dancing from Iran. Persian dance is very sensual, circular and slow which makes it a dance that is unique to Iran amongst all other Middle Eastern dance forms....
s which has been performed in Europe and North America several times.
Acting career
For six years, he appeared under the direction of Ariane Mnouchkine with the THEATRE DU SOLEIL and had major parts in plays such as Tartuffe, la Ville Parjure and Les Atrides. His theatre performances include Shakespeare's “Twelfth Night” with the Terrain Vague Company, “Romeo and Juliette” directed by Lionnel Briands, “Dionysos, the Baccantes” of Euripide directed by Usevio Lazaro, “Soldier Tale” of Strawinsky in theatre Athenée directed by Antoine Campo, “Tramway named Desire” of Tenesee William directed by Phillip Adrian, and “Abduction in the Serai” directed by Jérome Deschamps.He has played and directed plays in Persian including:
- Zohreh va Manouchehr by Iraj MirzaIraj MirzaPrince Iraj Mirza , son of prince Gholam Hossein Mirza, was a famous Iranian poet. He was a modern poet and his works are associated with the criticism of traditions. He had translations from the French language....
- Mardha va cheez from Makki
- Kafane Siah a play inspired by Mirzadeh EshghiMirzadeh EshghiMirzadeh Eshghi or Eshqi , born Sayed Mohammad Reza Kordestani , was a political writer and poet of Iran.He was born in Hamadan, the son of Hajj Sayed Abolghasam Kordestani; he learned French in the Ecole d'Alliance, and moved to Istanbul for a while...
the early 20th century Iranian poet.
Since 2004 he has been an official member of La Comédie Française one of the most prestigious theatre companies in Europe and has taken part in plays including:
- Pedro et le commandeur, Felix Lope de Vega
- Molière / Lully, Molière, m.e.s Jean-Marie Villégier
- La Maison des morts, Philippe Minyana, m.e.s Robert Cantarella,
- Yerma le Bonheur, Cyrano de Bergerac and others all played in French
Personal life
He and his company Nakissa perform in various countries around the world and attend international festivals or events, such as the Internaitonal Dance Festival in Boulder Colorado, Festival Meridas, Festival d'Asturias Festival de Chartres, Rotterdam, Rome, La haye, and the Tirgan festival http://www.tirgan.ca/ in Toronto. Shahrokh enjoys photography. In 2009 he signed an open letter of apology posted to Iranian.comIranian.com
Iranian.com, also known as The Iranian and The Iranian Times, is an online English language magazine.Founded in July 1995 by entrepreneur/journalist Jahanshah Javid, Iranian.com has the largest online following among Iranians residing in North America, with about 68,000 visitors per month-Awards...
along with 266 other Iranian academics, writers, artists, journalists about the Persecution of Bahá'ís
Persecution of Bahá'ís
The persecution of Bahá'ís is the religious persecution of Bahá'ís in various countries, especially in Iran, where the Bahá'í Faith originated and the location of one of the largest Bahá'í populations in the world...
.