The Persian Cultural Society will host Iran Day on Saturday in celebration of the Persian new year — called Norooz — which takes place at the vernal equinox and means “new day.” The event will feature a series of performances that showcase Iranian culture, including song and dance performances and a skit.
“We want [the show] to be an introduction to the tradition surrounding the new year, because it is Zoroastrian tradition that existed in pre-Islamic Iran and is still maintained today,” said PCS Social Chair Taneen Maghsoudi, a second-year College student.
The organization conducted street interviews to gauge the general perception of Iran among University students and hopes to represent and celebrate the rich culture and regional diversity of the country.
Based on the feedback from its street interviews and given American media coverage of current events in Iran, PCS hopes to dispel negative stereotypes and connotations about the country, Maghsoudi said.
“The event will humanize the region and try to make it less menacing,” she said. “We try our best to show that is it is very culturally rich as well as ethnically rich by highlighting prominent regions.”
The musical performances will range from traditional to modern, including a song performed in Farsi in the traditional dastgāh style, which is renowned for its difficulty and complexity.
“[It’s a] classical song,” Maghsoudi said. “People call the artist ‘the master’ because it’s a very challenging, technical style to perform.”
There will be three different dances performed by members of the Persian Cultural Society, including a traditional Iranian dance called Baba Karam — a flirtatious back and forth between males and females.
“The men wear 1950s-type clothes — white oxfords, black fedora — and the girl teases him by taking his hat and his tie and putting them on,” Maghsoudi said. “The girl is playing games while mimicking the man’s gruffness in a more feminine way.”
Other dances will be all-female performances showcasing several styles and their regional variations.
Among the array of musical performances and poetry readings, each participant will play off of a different regional or cultural stereotype in a game show-style skit. This performance will address American perceptions of the Iranian diaspora in a lighthearted way.
“We want to educate and entertain,” Maghsoudi said.
Read More
“The Spaces We Seek” gives a student-curated look into displacement and belonging
By Emily Pitts | 6 hours agoThe year-long Museums Internships course is a special opportunity through the art history department where students interested in museum professions can learn through working at the museum.
“The Tortured Poets Department” is momentary and legendary
20 hours ago“The Tortured Poets Department” is, by many measures, Swift’s most personal work yet.
Shakespeare on the Lawn brings new energy to an old classic
By Xander Tilock | 2 days agoThis weekend, Shakespeare on the Lawn will deliver a new rendition of “Much Ado About Nothing,” set in a southern country club — and the production is a surefire hit.
