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Companions of the Sun: Author Talk & Dance Performance (Virtual/In-Person)
Learn about the origins and practice of Iranian dance in this talk and performance by Dr. Farima Berenji. She will discuss Iranian rituals and beliefs in relation to dance, as well as how Iranian culture has impacted global music and dance traditions. There will be a short performance and audience participation dance as part of the program.
Rooted in one of the world’s oldest civilizations, the traditions of Iranian/Persian sacred dance and music embody the profound wisdom of our ancestors. Observing nature, the stars, and the rhythms of life, they crafted movements expressing love, strength, and spiritual transcendence. These rituals continue to inspire cultures worldwide, preserving a legacy of mysticism and artistic expression. Author Dr. Farima Berenji presents her research upon the evolutionary origins and practice of Iranian rituals, beliefs, and dances, exploring how Iranian culture permeated global music and dance traditions, developing distinctly from its sister nations. All this is explored in her book Companions of the Sun.
Dr. Farima Berenji has an MA in Anthropology/Archaeology, MA in Iranian dance ethnology both from Cal State Hayward, and an M.Msc. and a PhD from the University of Sedona in Iranian metaphysics and mysticism, specializing in Iranian mystic traditions, Sufism, and women’s mystic rituals. She is an award winning, internationally acclaimed performing artist, choreographer and has been recognized as one of the few world scholars of ancient and mystical Iranian dance ethnology. She is honored to be the first Iranian woman to direct a Persian dance company to perform during receptions for President Obama and President Biden, the EU, and the UN. Farima is the founder and artistic director of the Simorgh Dance Collective, Assistant Director and Program Director of Eastern Arts, founder of Dance of the Soul, advisory council member of Mosaic America, a member of the International Dance Council (CID-UNESCO), National Folk Organization member, and the first Iranian-American woman TEDx lecturer and performer in the field of dance. She has excelled in artistic and innovative forms of cultural preservation and has been recognized by the international press. Recognized as one of the few world scholarly experts of ancient and mystical dance ethnology, she travels worldwide to research, lecture, perform, educate, and inspire dynamic creativity and rejuvenation through dance and movement.
This is a hybrid program. Registrants will receive a Zoom link to attend virtually. Everyone is welcome to attend in-person at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, 150 E. San Fernando St., in the Digital Humanities Center (First Floor).
Registration required.
FREE Program. FREE Parking (first 90 minutes in the Fourth Street Garage.)
Bus Routes: 22, 23, 64A, 64B, 66, 68, 72, 73, 500, 522, 523, 568, Highway 17 Express, Light Rail.