This is not a dance

How do you dance when dancing is forbidden? In Iran, dancing has been officially banned since the start of the Islamic Revolution in 1979. All dance companies were forced to cease their activities. Many dancers and choreographers have fled abroad. Those who have stayed must be inventive. How can they keep the art form alive? Iranian-born, Netherlands-based theatre maker Nastaran Razawi Khorasani presents »This is not a dance«, a dance performance that explores the theme of censorship. What can be shown, what must remain hidden? For her piece, Nastaran conducted interviews between 2021 and 2023 with choreographers and dancers living in Iran and brings their voices to the stage. How do they cope with the ban on dance? How do they practise their profession, what dangers do they face, and what freedoms are they fighting for? »This is not a dance« is a tribute to the body that wants to move. As music and light build to a frenzy, Nastaran attempts to keep her dancing body under control. The piece is a celebration of art that simply must be made, no matter the manner, form or shape.

Nastaran Razawi Khorasani (* 1987 in Iran) is a graduate of the Maastricht Institute of Performative Arts. She is both a theatre maker and an actress and has already performed at the Ro Theater, the International Theater Amsterdam and the Maas Theater and Dance. Her works are shown internationally and have won numerous awards. Nastaran is currently part of the Makers Community at Theater Rotterdam.
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What the press says:

»›This is not a dance‹ clearly illustrates what censorship does to a human life.«
Parool

»A moving performance that will continue to resonate for a long time.«
Theaterkrant

»With ›This is not a dance‹, Nastaran Razawi Khorasani builds on her exciting documentary-performative oeuvre, in which she links a journalistic approach to a physical visual language.«
From the jury report of the VSCD Mime/Performance Prize 2024
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