While we were dancing

Dance Instructor arrested for teaching dance

As reported in the New York Times (NYT 7/3/02, by Nazila Fathi, p. A5), Mohammad Khordadian, an Iranian-American dance instructor based in Los Angeles, was arrested for allegedly teaching dance in Iran while visiting his family. Mr. Khordadian asserted that he did not teach dance in Iran, but even if he had, the assertion by the Iranian government that dance is an inherently sinful and corrupt activity should be strongly opposed by the international dance community.

An Example

One way to discover the deeper meaning of dance is to identify that which is not dance. By this I do not mean to say something like "Dance is not a cow." Rather, I want to suggest that there are certain events in the world which strike a chord. They have connections which can be argued, perhaps through ideas of beauty. This kind of logical connecting is useful, but at this stage not enough. These events need to be held up to be considered at length. When enough are found, richer patterns may emerge.

The New York Times (6/24/00, "Women are Defaced by Acid and Bengali Society is Torn", Barry Bearak, p. A1) reports that from 1996 through March of 1999, there have been about 370 attacks where men threw acid on women's faces. The culprit is most often a spurned suitor. He may have wanted to erase the beauty that once enchanted him and to empty her life of happiness. Her sight is gone in one eye and dimmed in the other. Aching is constant.

The full article can be found on the New York Times' web site.

  • Old Indices

  • ExploreDance.com Home

    		•

    Check out ExploreDance.com's Calendar of Upcoming Events

    ExploreDance.com is now offering Dance Posters for sale!
    Click here to purchase.

    Send a letter to the Editor

    Join the ExploreDance.com Email list.

    Please note that all material on ExploreDance.com is copyright ExploreDance.com and/or the respective authors at the listed publication dates. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Please email editor@ExploreDance.com for reprint permission requests.


    		 Amazon Honor System Click Here to Pay Learn More
    You can use your PayPal account to support ExploreDance.com.