THE STORY OF NOWRUZ
Current Project
The Story of Nowruz. 2024
The production "The Story of Nowruz" describes the unique celebration of the arrival of spring and the beginning of the Persian new year. From exciting and ancient Zoroastrian soul-cleansing rituals, to the good luck charm and beauty of the "Table of the Seven S's,” the performance depicts traditions of inspiration, rebirth, renewal, and hope through traditional choreography, original scoring performed by a live 22-piece orchestra, and professional actors in a first-of-its-kind stage production.
The Story of Nowruz will be performed in 7 scenes (mirroring the haft-seen), beginning with history and traditions prior to Nowruz, during, and after. The tale celebrates the amazing, ancient rituals and stories shared in a vibrant format.
Nowruz/Norooz/Norouz is a celebration of ancient and powerful proportions celebrated by over 300 million people from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds in lands that once belonged to the Persian Empire.
What we wish for every single person during our new year's celebration is love, prosperity, patience, beauty, wealth, health, revived passion, and joy.
This is our home right now right, right here. NICArt intends to bring our amazing heritage and culture to the forefront and show how much we love everybody and how much commonality and similarity we share.
NICArt BELIEVES IN THE POWER OF STRENGTHENING
LOVE & UNITY BETWEEN ALL CULTURES THROUGH ART.
My kids were born here and disconnected from their culture, and this performance really brought tears to my eyes as I watched how engaged my children were from their seats! They were so focused and not only did it feel like they were watching beautiful dancing, song, and acting, but it was also educational and made me feel proud and excited to share my heritage with my kids. Thank you, NICA for this splendid production!
Meet the CreativeTeam
The production of “The Story of Nowruz” is designed and produced by the best contemporary Persian dance choreographers, musicians, artists, and stage crew.
NIOSHA NAFEI-JAMALI
As founder of Niosha Dance Academy, Niosha has been involved in the education, promotion, and preservation of Iranian tradition and culture both in the US and abroad since 1991. Niosha has been an ambassador of Iranian culture throughout the United States, and has performed at venues like the Santa Clara Convention Center, the San Franciso Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco City Hall, Oracle Arena, Amaricas Got Talent, UC Berkeley, UCSF, and Stanford.
KAMBIZ NARAGHI
Kambiz Naraghi has enjoyed over two decades of success in photography and video production. He has managed and cradled numerous artistic projects from the ground up, specializing in audio/visual technical project management. Mr. Naraghi’s expertise includes creating and producing music and concert videos for a US based satellite TV station, photography for concerts, corporate events, commercials and products, and numerous music videos, commercials, and infomercials.
MAJID MIRFAKHRAEI
Majid Mirfakhraei is one of the foremost art directors working in Iranian cinema today. He holds his BA in Stage Design from Faculty of Dramatic Arts and a diploma in stage design and painting from Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, London. He’s worked on stage design both in Tehran and London. Some major works include PBS special "Islam, Empire of Faith," and NHK special "Alexander." He’s worked over 30 feature films, TV series, and theatrical productions earning numerous awards and accolades.
SHAHIN YOUSEFZAMANI
A graduate of Tehran Conservatory, Shahin Yousefzamani has performed performed internationally with renown artists including Mohammad Reza Shajarian, Iraj Bastami, Khashayar Estemadi, and Alireza Assar. Shahin was nominated for his composition "Dasht" in Young Composers Festival that was conducted by Maestro Seiji Ozawa. Since 2007, he’s performed with symphony orchestras in Orange and Los Angeles Counties, and toured internationally with the legendary singer, Googoosh.
Production Advisors
ANTHONY SHAY
As a dancer and choreographer specializing in dances from Eastern Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia, Anthony Shay is the de-facto standard of excellence for the technical and artistic appreciation, evolution, and preservation of cultural dance in the US. Author of 11 books, he is currently Professor of Dance and Cultural Studies in the Theatre and Dance Department of Pomona College.
JAMAL
Jamal is an award winning Iranian-American choreographer, visual artist, and designer. A visionary in his own right, Jamal expresses the celebration of mind, body, and the essence of movement through space. Jamal earned his Bachelor of Art and Masters of Art in design from California State University, Los Angeles. His life-long passion for the arts is the result of his rich life experiences.