Jamileh iranian dancer biography sample

Jamileh

“The Goddess of Iranian Dance”

by Robyn Friend, Ph.D.

I first heard of Jamileh many years ago when a musician friend showed me a video of her from Iranian television in the 1960’s and 1970’s.

On this video she performed several dances: a “classical”1 Persian dance, wherein she mimed a lady at her toilette: a cabaret-style belly-dance; and a jâheli styledance, where she danced with a man’s hat and imitated the jâheli style of men’s dancing.

She was the first professional Persian dancer I had ever seen, and I was charmed. She combined supple and subtle movements with great strength and flexibility, and had the most gorgeous hair!

Seeing her perform live is an even greater treat. What a performance! To say she is a good dancer misses the point: she is a great entertainer! The amazing thing is that, other than the addition of a few pounds, her dancing hasn’t changed in three decades, and her hair is still gorgeo