Bio

Born in Iran where she lived until adolescence, Sepideh was taken with poetry, music and dance from childhood.  However, it was not until much later in Switzerland, during the course of her university studies that she discovered her true passion and talent for dance.  Isabel Alama introduced her to Oriental dance.  After completing further training, she became interested in other forms of Arabian music and dance.  She explored a diverse universe :  classical Persian dance, traditional Iranian dance, Indian classical dance (Kathak) and an intensive study of contemporary dance, which allowed her to obtain technique and develop her own dance.  She also tried the Gypsy dance of Rajasthan (Kalbelyia), Afghanistan dance, Tadjik and Rom dance from Turkey and the Balkans.

Enriched by these experiences, Sepideh returned to the dance and music of her home country with a deeper understanding.  Fascinated by classical Persian music, she studied the rhythms and modes from this music which allowed her to dance to an authentic and ancestral musical repertoire.   She refined her knowledge through trips to Iran and following workshops with specialists dispersed around the globe.

Shahrokh Moshkin Ghalam, Hossein Fayazpour, Shahrzad Khorsandi, Etienne Frey, Surya Hilal, Melisjane Sezer, Leila Haddad and Ravi S. Mishra are among the dancers who have taught her.

Sepideh has taught Persian and Oriental dance for five years and has performed in diverse productions.  Within the framework of an association she founded, she taught and participated in cultural events at the University of Geneva.  In 2010, she produced her first original piece, A Window To See, in collaboration with 5 musicians.  It brought together poetry, dance and music from two distinct cultures with strong identities, Persian and Arab, playing on their differences and similarities.

Through her rigorous artistic work, Sepideh has developed another aspect of Persian dane, while preserving its roots and authentic spirit. For Sepideh, the dance remains a tool of expression that allows her body and mind to get away from it all.  In  this sense, emotion occupies the central place in all of her creations, and she does not hesitate to push the limits when necessary, because dancing, is after all, about feeling free.