Niloufar Talebi, Alex Ketley and
Bobak Salehi collaborate on fusion of new poetry, music and dance that uses myth
of Icarus as departure point to dramatize the voyage from exile to
self-possession experienced by both the immigrant and the artist
Festival presented by The Translation Project along with
honorary guests Mayor Gavin Newsom, Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, and SF Symphony
Musical director, Michael Tilson Thomas, will round out schedule with films,
panels, multimedia, and visual arts. Festival in partnership with Beyond Persia.
November 13-17 run at Theater
Artaud
Tickets available through
City Box
Office starting September 15
San
Francisco, August 25- The 1st annual Iranian
Arts Festival will present the world premiere of ICARUS/RISE on Thursday, November 15 at
8 pm, followed by performances on Friday the 16th at 8pm, and
Saturday the 17th at 7pm. The festival opens on November 13th with
film screenings and an art exhibit, and continues through November 17, with a
variety of literary offerings including a talk with noted Iranian writer, Moniru
Ravanipur.
An after-party follows the Thursday
and Friday performances of ICARUS/RISE with tickets for performance
+ after-party priced at $50.00. A special gala fundraiser follows Saturday's
performance, with tickets priced at $185.00. All tickets go on sale through City Box Office starting September
15.
Conceived and created by The Translation Project's Niloufar
Talebi, ICARUS/RISE combines a series
of 14 poems by contemporary Iranian poets with an original score by Bobak Salehi
and the choreography and video projections of Alex Ketley. Beginning with a
prophetic tone, the work conjures the many moods-including nostalgia,
resignation, optimism, and sensuality- that inevitably accompany the journey
from exile to self-possession. A journey that is the lot of both the immigrant
looking for a new home, and the artist searching to find his or her voice.
When asked what she wants an
audience to take away from the piece, Talebi-who also narrates and stars in the
piece-says, "It's not only an opportunity to show how lyrical, epic and humorous
contemporary Iranian poetry is, but also how relevant."
In addition, notes Talebi, "ICARUS/RISE is about shedding the
chrysalis of home and turning exile into an act imagination."
A list of poems and poets and other
information is available at thetranslationproject.org
The Iranian Literary Arts Festival
is presented by The Translation
Project, whose mission is to connect Iranian writers to new worldwide
audiences, in partnership with Beyond
Persia, that aims to give voice to the lives of "hyphenated Iranians". Ahsha Safai, of
the San Francisco Mayor's Office, notes that The Translation Project's festival
brings world culture to our shore and is "essential to our understanding of a
rich and multifaceted culture that is often misrepresented and
misunderstood."
The festival culminates on Saturday,
November 17 with a gala fundraiser for The Translation Project, which includes
a 7 pm presentation of ICAURS/RISE,
followed by a celebration with food and live music. Chair of the Host Committee
Bita Daryabari will be joined by committee members and corporate sponsors Plug and Play, Steven Volpe, Roth Martin and Hedge
Gallery.
The Iranian Literary Arts Festival
runs November 13-17 at Theater Artaud, 450 Florida Street, SF. (415)
626-4370.
About Niloufar
Talebi
Award-winning translator, Niloufar
founded The Translation Project in
2003. She is the editor and translator of BELONGING:
New Poetry of the Iranian
Diaspora (forthcoming 2008, North Atlantic Books). More information at thetranslationproject.org
About Alex
Ketley
Alex danced with the San Francisco
Ballet, as well as danced and choreographed for Alonzo King's LINES Ballet. He
co-founded The Foundry to explore choreography, improvisation, mixed media work,
and collaborative process. Visit foundryprojects.org
About Bobak
Salehi
Bobak ventured into music under the
direction of his father, Maestro, Hossein Salehi. He is trained in classical
violin and founded the Damām Ensemble, classical and folk music of
Iran and co-founded the fusion group
rāz, blending Middle Eastern and Latin
American popular music.
About Moniru
Ravanipur
Moniru Ravanipur is the voice of an
emerging presence of females in Iranian fiction. Her participation in the Berlin
Conference in 2000 resulted in mass censorship of her work in
Iran. She is currently a fellow at
the Las Vegas City of Asylum program.
About The Translation Project
(TTP)
A literary organization, production
company and think tank, TTP is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to
bring contemporary Iranian literature to worldwide audiences in multiple
languages and media. Visit thetranslationproject.org
About Beyond Persia
Beyond Persia is a
social network built around Iranian American/ex-patriot artists living anywhere
outside their homeland. It supports its efforts through quality art exhibits,
concerts, film festivals, and event management. Visit www.beyondpersia.org
... Payvand News - 10/11/07 ... --
