THE DOUBT | Iran | 14 May 2013

Choreographer: Hediyeh Azma

Performers: Hediyeh Azma, Yeganeh Kamar Khani, Roya Nikandish

Composer/ Musician: Saber Jafari

All day long                                                                                                                                                                  تمام روز نگاه من

I was staring at my life’s eyes                                                                                                          به چشمهای زندگیم خیره گشته بود

Those sacred eyes,                                                                                                                                 به آن دو چشم مضطرب ترسان

that were escaping from my constant gaze                                                                                       که از نگاه ثابت من می‌گریختند

And like the liars                                                                                                                                                        و چون دروغگویان

harbor to the secure loneliness                                                                                                              به انزوای بی‌خطر پناه میآورند

(Forough Farrokhzad)                                                                                                                                                    (فروغ فرخزاد)

Embarked from choreographer’s personal experience of living in a religiously shaped society, The Doubt initiated. What she witnessed was the contradicting condition where her ambitions and her preferences in life were far from the socio-cultural norms. Such condition creates a doubled identity that one is bound to hide one of the two, at each situation.

The choreographic attempt was to embody this womanly inner contradiction, to capture the struggle between the desire and socio-cultural norms in such context. “To what extend our decisions and the way  we behave is bound to follow the social constructions? Are we lying to ourselves or others? Do we have power to stand against this constraint?”

Three performers and a Daf player (the Iranian drumming musical instrument) were accompanying the dance piece. Saber Jafari, the musician of this piece is also singing during the performance. His unique talent in combining the instrument and his voice brings about an epic atmosphere, empowering the choreographic idea.

This piece gained attention from the jury. The choreographer gained appreciated award and the supporting actor’s award went to one of the performers.