TIMELESS, PLACELESS: IRANIAN DANCE ARCHIVE IN EXILE

26.05.2024 | 13:00 | ITI-Germany | Media Library for Dance and Theater

Language: English | Free entry (Registration needed) | Length: 120 Min

Since the 1979 revolution and the subsequent escape and migration of dancers and choreographers to North America and Europe, the documentation and archiving of Iranian dance, both inside and outside Iran, has come to a standstill for over 40 years. In recent years, Berlin has established itself as the first port of call for aspiring Iranian dancers leaving their homeland. As a cosmopolitan metropolis and meeting point for artists from all over the world, Berlin is the preferred destination for Iranians who want to continue their training and careers in contemporary dance. But how is this work recorded for future generations? How does it connect to the history of Iranian dance? This panel will address the urgent need to establish an Iranian dance archive in exile in Berlin, addressing artistic, historical and practical aspects.

The event is free of charge. Due to limited capacity, please register via

With: Elaheh Hatami, Ulduz Ahmadzadeh

Moderation: Christine Henniger

Notes on accessibility

The panel will be held in English. A spoken translation into German will not be provided. Alternative seating, such as beanbags, will be provided. Childcare will be provided in Studio 2 of ITI. Further notes and detailed information on accessibility of the event can be found here:

Phonetic Translation | Childcare | Alternative Sitting Options | Venues

Elaheh Hatami holds a doctorate in dance studies and works as researcher, theorist and author. She is based in Berlin. She is the author of the book Glocal Bodies: Dancers in Exile and Politics of Place: A Critical Study of Contemporary Iranian Dance (Transcript, 2022). Currently, she works on establishing an Iranian dance archive in exile and is writing a monograph on the development of this archive project.

Ulduz Ahmadzadeh is a choreographer, dancer, researcher, educator, and artistic co-director of the Vienna-based contemporary dance company ATASH عطش. Her artistic work breaks with Western aesthetics, developing a significant South and West Asian-influenced contemporary dance language and addresses socio-political issues and cultural hierarchies. She works at the intersection of dance, performance, video, installation, documentation and activism. Her most recent works tour internationally have been produced in collaboration with Tanzquartier Wien and Brut.

Christine Henniger Christine Henniger is head of the media library for dance and theater at the International Theater Institute. She coordinates the Archive and Practice department, which deals with the theoretical and practical interweaving of the performing arts in archival processes and includes questions of international and transnational reference within the heritage discussion, questions of digitization, canonization and curation.