Garden of Roses – بوستان گل سرخ – SAN FRANCISCO

Diaspora Arts Connection proudly presents Nava Dance Collective's Garden of Roses ("The Bustan Project") led by internationally acclaimed dancer and choreographer Miriam Peretz.

About the artists:
Dancer, choreographer, and instructor Miriam Peretz specializes in traditional, mystical and contemporary dances from the Silk Road  (Persia & Central Asia,) and beyond.  Her style draws inspiration from her diverse dance background in Persian, Central Asian, Flamenco, and Contemporary dance as well as her training in various Martial Art forms.  Miriam performs with her international group, Nava Dance Collective, as well as performs as a featured soloist in festivals throughout the U.S., Middle East and Europe.  As an instructor, Miriam is regarded for being a highly dynamic and inspiring teacher, offering students the opportunity for self-growth, personal healing, and intense physical challenge.  

Miriam's love of dance has led her on a life long journey in search for ways to use the arts as a bridge between people of different backgrounds and spiritual traditions.  She sees dance as a uniquely powerful means of expressing deep emotion and spiritual yearning, and therefore the perfect embodiment of prayer.  Miriams passion thrives in cultivating community through dance, in utilizing dance ritual to mark life transitions, and in creating nurturing, safe environments for sacred movement practice. Read more here: http://miriamdance.com/pages/bio.html

Nava dance collective is an international community of dancers devoted to cross-cultural dialogue and artistic collaboration through traditional, sacred, and ethno-contemporary dance forms. Under the direction of Miriam Peretz, dancers from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds collaborate in the creation of meaningful projects and performances. Dancers in the collective immerse in the unique movement language developed by Miriam Peretz. This style draws mainly on dances from the Silk Road, but is also heavily infused with contemporary aesthetics and devotional themes.

Creating community among dancers is at the heart of the Nava collective. Beyond the importance of cultural preservation and technical precision is the basic need for people to come together and feel supported by a larger sense of community. Historically this has always been an important aspect of traditional dance forms. However, often times this is forgotten, and the dance floor becomes a place of competition, ego, and intimidation. The collective shares the belief that the dance space, our Dance Sanctuary, wherever it may be, should be a place for healing and transformation. It is the duty of all dancers to create this safe space for themselves and others. Read more here: http://miriamdance.com/pages/nava.html