Banafsheh Sayyad
Banafsheh Sayyad is an International performer, instructor and educator of Contemporary Mystical Persian and World dance. She is the founder and Artistic Director of the group NAMAH (in the pre-sanskrit language of Avesta means reverence and greeting) and works extensively with Pejman Hadadi, virtuoso Persian percussionist & founder of the highly acclaimed ensemble, ZARBANG. She is daughter of the legendary Iranian filmmaker, theater director and actor, Parviz Sayyad, Banafsheh.
Banafsheh draws from her extensive background in Persian dance, Sufi ritual, Tai Chi and Flamenco to present a new form, rooted in tradition yet universal, "fusing ancient forms with a postmodern punch" (Los Angeles Times). Uniquely her own, Banafsheh's movement is comprised in part by the Persian alphabet which she has translated into gestures and movement. These elements combine and express the words and poetic stanzas, most often taken from the works of the great mystic poet, Rumi, creating individual works of visual art that touch the heart.
“Part whirling dervish, part flamenco femme fatale, sensuous and audacious, Sayyad’s dance is a mesmerizing foray into the body as trance mechanism; a DNA strand, supple, fluid and noble, come to life.” Los Angeles Times