For 20 years, I have been studying Persian dance. I have had the privilege of learning from the best teachers in the field in the world and even from one of the dancers and teachers who danced in the representative troupe of Iran – Shazi Shahrazad, a dancer and teacher who was smuggled out of Iran at the outbreak of the revolution, and founded an academy for Persian dance in San Francisco.

For the first time in Israel, I produced Persian dance performances. Among the most notable of them: “Orchard of Roses” (in collaboration with my teacher and partner, the creator Miriam Peretz), “Behind the Veil”, “Dance of the Iranian Woman”, and more. Performances that also appealed to the Israeli audience and received enthusiastic responses and coverage from reporters.

About 4 years ago, I founded the “Shiraz Ensemble” in Israel – a professional female ensemble, leading Persian dance in the country and supporting Iranian women who are fighting for a life of freedom, liberty and peace. The ensemble presented a first and unique performance in Israel called “Longing”, followed by “MTA for Shiraz” which filled halls.

The clip in support of Iranian women that we produced (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVqBic4fot0) has garnered hundreds of thousands of views and emotional responses even from Iran. We also performed for Reza Qoresh Ali Pahlavi, who visited Israel in April 2023, the son of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, the last Iranian Shah, and the grandson of Reza Shah Pahlavi, the founder of the Pahlavi dynasty.

“Shiraz Ensemble” is today a home for Persian dance in Israel, connecting past and present, between ancient traditions and contemporary reading, free spirit and personal expression.

With the hope and call for a joint dance with the Iranian people very soon, on the streets of Shiraz, the city where my parents were born.

To join and for more information: Iris Delshad 052-6335549 irisim100@gmail.com