Tanzquartier Wien

In her piece for PARASOL, choreographer Ulduz Ahmadzadeh continues her long-term exploration of the pre-national dance heritage of Southwest Asia and delves into the cosmology of the transcontinental healing ritual Zaar (or Zaar cult). Zaar is practised in the Persian-Arabic Gulf region, but also in North-East Africa and South Arabia. The Zaar spirits are categorised as ‘winds’ (pers. bād) in southern Iran and are said to be able to enter people’s bodies and cause various psychological or physical ailments. There are different wind spirits, each with associated rhythms and chants, through which they are recognised by healers and can be treated through a specific ceremony and trance techniques. In the performance, these different winds are summoned; they stand for different dances and manifest themselves in the bodies of dancers of different origins. The dances featured in the piece are Afar, Hatan and Choub from Khorasan (Eastern Iran), Attan from Afghanistan and Balochistan (South Eastern Iran), Alangu from Balochistan, Garayan and Ghare Pire Zan from Sanandaj and Mahabad (Kurdistan/Western Iran), Bandari from the Persian coastal region, Kawliya and Koly from Iraq and Balochistan of Indian (Roma) origin, Al Ahmad from the Gulf region and Sudan and Hadendoa from Sudan. It is important to note that the above provenance information is based only on Ahmadzadeh’s research until now.

The event will include a short presentation of the research and development process, followed by a moderated discussion. Moderation: Anna Leon (TQW Theory)