The Iranian National Ballet Company () was Iran's only state ballet institution until the Islamic revolution of 1979 and also the most known and recognized of all dance companies in the Middle East. It was founded in 1958 by the Iranian Ministry of Culture and existed for 21 years (1958–1979). The company, residing at Tehran's Roudaki Hall, was disbanded in the aftermath of the Islamic revolution and was re-established 23 years later in exile by Nima Kiann under the name of Les Ballets Persans () in Sweden.Official website of Les Ballets Persans (The New Iranian National Ballet)Chronology of the Iranian National Ballet and Les Ballets Persans
History
Introduction of ballet in Iran
The history of ballet in Iran started in 1928 when Madame Cornelli, a Russian immigrant who fled the Bolshevik revolution of 1917, started giving dance lessons in Tehran. There was no methodical ballet training; the classes consisted of various exercises to make the body supple and to cultivate the students' awareness of rhythm and musicality. Part of each class was devoted to character or folk dances.From book: My Life as a Persian Ballerina by Haideh Ahmadzadeh, p. 5 A later dance teacher was Madame Yelena (Avedisian),Kiann, Nima (2000). Madame Yelena Avedisian. Eastern Dance Forum (Retrieved 2 Dec. 2014) and Sarkis Djanbazian who respectively in 1933 and 1938 organized dance classes in the city of Tabriz and Qazvin. These newcomers expanded the European influenced dance scene in Iran by holding performances and dance classes of various style, including classical ballet, European folk dancing, and the European partner dancing.
Iran’s pioneering ballet company In the early 1940s Nilla Cram Cook, who had vast knowledge in Eastern cultures and languages, was serving as the United States cultural attaché at the American Embassy in Tehran. During her time as the US cultural attaché she became employed at the Ministry of Education and Propaganda, as director general of the Arts Department. Her endeavors and great interest in Persian culture, arts and literature resulted in the realization of the most extensive Iranian national dance project of the first half of the twentieth century. In 1946, Cram Cook founded the Studio of the Revival of the Iranian Ancient Arts (in ), aiming to revive and restore the "forgotten" ancient Iranian performing arts. Most of the dances were based on Persian history or mythology. An important work by Cram Cook, The Caravan, was developed from a poem by Saadi and was later performed in 1958 by the Iranian National Ballet.From book: My Life as a Persian Ballerina by Haideh Ahmadzadeh; p. 21 The dance troupe performed at functions at the American Embassy in Tehran and toured nationally and internationally, remaining active until around 1953.
Establishment of the national ballet company In 1955, Mehrdad Pahlbod, the head of the Fine Arts department commissioned Nejad and Haideh Ahmadzadeh to start a ballet school on a professional basis aiming to raise native Iranian ballet dancers for a future national ballet company. The school was opened in 1956 in the premises of Tehran's Conservatory of Music. Two years later in 1958, the Iranian National Ballet Company was established with Nejad Ahmadzadeh as its founding director. When the Fine Arts Department of Iran eventually expanded and became The Ministry of Culture and Arts, Nejad Ahmadzadeh was appointed as director of the ballet academy, the ballet company and the National and Folk Music, Song and Dance Ensemble which was a sister company to the Iranian National Ballet Company using the same dancers to create and stage a nationally inspired repertoire.Ahmadzadeh, Haideh (2009). My life as a Persian Ballerina. Raleigh, NC: Lulu Enterprises Inc.
As institutionalizing ballet and bringing about a professional national ballet ensemble comparable to the ballet companies in the West had become a serious concern for the government, the Iranian monarch Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi had personally asked Dame Ninette de Valois to council on the formation of a ballet company during one of his official visits to London and after a command performance in his honor at the Royal Opera House. In the summer of 1958, Dame Ninette de Valois was visiting Turkey where she had founded a ballet school. On the invitation of the Ministry of Culture and Arts, she prolonged her trip in order to visit the National Ballet Academy of Iran and budding company in Tehran. On her return to London, she sent Ann Cox followed by Miro Michael Zolan and his wife Sandra Vane. Later Nicholas Beriozoff, Marion English-Delanian, Richard Brown and finally Robert and Jacqueline de Warren were sent by de Valois to teach and stage dances and short ballets for the ballet academy and company.
The Iranian National Ballet Company developed to become the most renowned Iranian cultural institution during its tenure as the country's only ballet institution. Company productions were often performed at official events and functions in the presence of the royal family and invited national and international dignitaries. The company moved to the Roudaki Hall Opera upon its completion in 1967.Kiann, Nima (2015). History of Ballet in Iran. Wiesbaden: Reichert Publishing
Repertoire
The company repertoire included classical, neoclassical and contemporary ballets which were staged usually by invited guest choreographers and ballet masters from Europe and the United States. The company established a close collaboration with dance institutions in Soviet Union, United States and Europe. The Royal Ballet, Royal Academy of Dance, Bolshoi Ballet, American Ballet Theatre were parts of a vast exchanging cultural program between the companies.
Some early works of the company were those choreographed by Nilla Cram Cook for the Revival of the Iranian Ancient Arts Ensemble which were restaged by Cram Cook's former dancers, Nejad and Haideh Ahmadzadeh. Prominent and world-famous ballet dancers from renowned ballet companies of the world were often invited to dance the principal roles of all great classical ballets. In order to keep the high standard of the productions the company relied on guest artists from abroad to perform the leading roles in most work premieres.
List of Iranian National Ballet Company productions Year / Season Work Composer Chore / Staged by Principal dancers 1958 The Caravan Unknown Nilla Cram Cook / Haideh Ahmadzadeh 1961 The Classical Première Gluck Miro Zolan 1961 1+2=4 Ravel Miro Zolan Avak Abrahamian 1961 Don Quixote Pas de deux Minkus Miro Zolan Haideh Ahmadzadeh & Miro Zolan 1961 Rossiniada Rossini Miro Zolan 1961 Fiesta Kabalevsky Sandra Vane / Miro Zolan 1962 Libestraum Strauss Miro Zolan 1962 The Entertainers Miro Zolan 1963 The Nutcracker Pas de deux Tchaikovsky Marius Petipa / Miro Zolan Haideh Ahmadzadeh & Leon Neshanian 1963 Comedie a la Francaise Ibert Richard Brown 1963 Slaughter on Tenth Avenue Rogers George Balanchine / Richard Brown Clara Avanessian 1964 La Péri Paul Dukas Ivan Clustine / Robert de Warren Haideh Ahmadzadeh & Leon Neshanian 1965 Love and the Clown Verdi John Cranko / Robert de Warren Haideh Ahmadzadeh, Avak Abrahamian, Jamshid Saghabashi 1966 Games Ahmad Pejman Robert de Warren 1966 La Valse Ravel Robert de Warren 1966 Symphony in C Bizet Robert de Warren 1966 Tchaikovsky Suite Tchaikovsky Robert de Warren 1967 Lady of the Camellias / Robert de Warren 1967 The Firebird Stravinsky Michel Fokine / Robert de Warren 1968 Phaedra Auric / Robert de Warren Haideh Ahmadzadeh & Robert de Warren 1968–69 Romeo and Juliet Prokofiev John Cranko / Robert de Warren Sarvar Kaboli & Amin Taati 1968–69 Cinderella Prokofiev / Robert de Warren Sarvar Kaboli & Amin Taati 1969–70 The Sleeping Beauty Tchaikovsky Marius Petipa / Robert de Warren Lucette Aldous & Robert Bestonso 1970–71 Giselle Adolphe Adam Jean Coralli & Jules Perrot / Anne Heaton Adele Oroz & Viktor Rohna, Haideh Ahmadzadeh & Jamshid Saghabashi 1971 – Autumn The Myth of Creation Melik Aslanian Robert Thomas 1971–72 Coppélia Léo Delibes Arthur Saint-Léon / Anne Heaton Philippa Caire & Amin Taati, Haydeh Changizian & Jamshid Saghabashi1971–72 Swan Lake Tchaikovsky Marius Petipa / Vakhtang Chabukiani 1971–72 The Nutcracker Tchaikovsky Marius Petipa / Jack Carter Carol Grant & Jamshid Saghabashi, Haydeh Changizian & Amin Taati 1972–73 Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen Gustav Mahler Robert Thomas Haydeh Changizian & Amin Taati / Marion English Delanian & Robert Thomas 1972–73 La Bayadère Ludwig Minkus Marius Petipa / Natalie Conus Malika Sabirova & Mozaffar Burkhanov /Haydeh Changizian & Amin Taati, Haideh Ahmadzadeh in role of Gamzatti1972–73 Unfinished Symphony (Pas de quatre) Franz Schubert Madjid Kashef Haydeh Changizian & Riccardo Duse 1973–74 Fountain of Bakhchisarai Boris Asafyev Rostislav Zakharov / Natalie Conus Raisa Strouchkova & Nikolai Fadeyechev , Maggie Burton Saghabashi & Amin Taati, Haydeh Changizian, Avak Abrahamian 1973–74 La Fille Mal Gardée Peter Ludwig Hertel Dimitri Romanoff Haydeh Changizian & Amin Taati, Haideh Ahmadzadeh as Widow Simone 1973–74 Boléro Maurice Ravel Madame Tilda from Romania 1973–74 Petrushka Igor Stravinsky Michel Fokine / Madame Tilda from Romania Jamshid Saghabashi 1973–74 Sinfonietta Leoš Janáček Miro Zolan Haydeh Changizian 1973–74 Jigsaw Boris Blacher Miro Zolan Haydeh Changizian 1973–74 The Scarecrow Benjamin Britten Miro Zolan Marion English Delanian & Avak Abrahamian 1973–74 The Witch Boy Leonard Salzedo Jack Carter Haydeh Changizian & Jamshid Saghabashi 1975–76 Les Sylphides Frédéric Chopin Michel Fokine / Anne Heaton 1975–76 Schéhérazade Rimsky-Korsakov Anne Heaton Haydeh Changizian as Zobeide, Jamshid Saghabashi as the golden slave, Avak Abrahamian as Kalif1975–76 Bijan and Manijeh Hossein Dehlavi Haideh Ahmadzadeh & Robert Urazgildiev Haydeh Changizian & Jamshid Saghabashi 1976–77 Serenade Tchaikovsky George Balanchine / Patricia Neary Janet Popeleski & Michael Dane 1976–77 Miss Julie Rangström Birgit Cullberg Janet Popeleski & Chinko Rafique 1976–77 Graduation Ball Johann Strauss II / Nicholas Beriosoff Maggie Burton Saghabashi & Chinko Rafique 1976–77 Swan Lake Tchaikovsky Marius Petipa & Lev Ivanov / Nicholas Beriosoff Maggie Burton Saghabashi & Jamshid Sahabashi, Janet Popeleski 1977–78 Romeo and Juliet Prokofiev / Nicholas Beriosoff Janet Popeleski & Robert Craset / Nina Brzorad and Jamshid Saghabashi 1977–78 The Nutcracker Tchaikovsky Marius Petipa / Nicholas Beriosoff Janet Popeleski & Robert Craset / Nina Brzorad and Jamshid Saghabashi 1977–78 Carmina Burana Carl Orff John Butler Janet Popeleski, Nina Brzorad, Robert Craset, Jamshid Saghabashi 1977–78 After Eden Holby John Butler Janet Popeleski & Robert Crazet / Nina Brzorad and Jamshid Saghabashi 1977–78 Polovetsian Dances Borodin / Nicholas Beriosoff 1978–79 Sleeping Beauty Tchaikovsky Marius Petipa / Nicholas Beriosoff Nina Brzorad, Patricia Rensetti, Jamshid Saghabashi
Artistic staff
The Iranian National Ballet Company started operating in 1958 with a dozen of dancers. The company grew to approximately 50 dancers, one third of them Iranian natives. The rest of the company members came mostly from Europe and the United States.Community page of the Iranian National Ballets Company at Facebook. List of former membersCommunity page of the Iranian National Ballets Company at Facebook. TimelineCraine, Debra & Mackrell, Judith (2000). "Oxford Dictionary of Dance." New York: Oxford University Press
Artistic directors
Nejad Ahmadzadeh (1958–1976) Ali Pourfarrokh (1976–1979)
Principal choreographers
William Dollar (1958–1960) Miro Zolan (1961–1963) Richard Brown (1963–1964) Jack Carter (1971) Anne Heaton (1973) Haideh Ahmadzadeh Robert Urazgildiev (1975) Birgit Cullberg (1975) Nicholas Beriosoff (1976–1979) John Butler
Ballet masters and mistresses
William Dollar Miro Zolan Sandra Vane Yvonne Patterson (1959–1960) Marian English Delanian (1960 -1979)