We come together on this night to honor both the beauty and heartbreak of our times. Inspired by Tirgan, the ancient Iranian festival that celebrates the sacred waters of renewal — where grief is cleansed, life is restored, and a new dawn begins to rise. This gathering offers a space to transform sorrow into prayer, longing into devotion, and separation into connection, resilience, and hope.
Rooted in the rich mystical and artistic traditions of Iran, the evening will begin with a talk by mythologist Maryam Sayyad, PhD, followed by a multimedia performance by Banafsheh and video artist Shaghayegh Cyrous, creating a tapestry of sacred movement, imagery, and intention dedicated to the people of Iran and all those working courageously on behalf of freedom, dignity, and human flourishing.
Transformative! Banafsheh skillfully takes us step by step to an experience of dance that brings me deeper into my body, to peace, feeling grounded and open to beauty and to love. Most importantly for me, the process brought me to experience a lovingness toward myself. I appreciate her presence of gentleness and fierce passion, and I’m inspired to bring my best self into my world.
Mary Regis
Dance of Oneness® is the dance I had been waiting to do all my life. From a young age I had danced, read watched and followed Isadora Duncan, Martha Graham, Joffery Ballet, Margie Gillis, Gabriel Roth and many more than I can name that moved in a way that spoke to me. Dance of Oneness® is the culmination of all that I had been drawn to in the other dance forms which seemed to be missing the main ingredient. Banafsheh has found the missing thread which is the opening to the Beloved, to truly give yourself in movement to the Divine energy that resides and moves through all of us from the Earth and the Heavens. I felt that for the first time in our dancing. It also reintroduced me to my own body, allowed me to accept my imperfections and for the first time in years swim naked in the ocean. All of this and more.
Janet Sawatsky