Shahrzad Dance Academy

Shahrzad Khorsandi was born in Iran and grew up with Iranian/Persian dance as an integral part of her life. She has been passionately involved in dance since childhood and began studying dance at the age of 13. She studied Dance and Performance Art at the California Institute of the Arts and holds a BA in Dance, and an MA in Creative Arts from San Francisco State University. Her dance training includes Modern, Jazz, Ballet, West African, Afro-Haitian, Congolese, and an introduction to Senegalese, Balinese, and Flamenco.

Drawing upon her deep familiarity with authentic Iranian dance aesthetics, and her formal dance training, Shahrzad created a dance vocabulary and pedagogy for teaching Persian dance, helping in the artistic development and dissemination of an art form that continues to face social and political obstacles. She has documented this format in her book, The Art of Persian Dance, published in February 2015. fundamental and iconic body positions and movements recognized in Persian/Iranian dance and movements. She has also produced several instructional and performance videos in Persian dance.

Shahrzad Dance Academy (SDA) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded by Shahrzad Khorsandi in 1996. The academy is a cultural training ground, using a structured curriculum of traditional Persian movement as a cultural foundation while providing the space to artistically explore choreography in contemporary Persian dance. SDA is based in Richmond, California, and often hosts classes and workshops in classical & contemporary Persian dance for serious dancers and dance scholars taught by Shahrzad, as well as performances by Shahrzad Dance Company.

SDA has a professional dance company dedicated to exploring the boundaries of artistic expression through movement while staying true to the essence of traditional Persian aesthetics. Under the artistic direction of Shahrzad Khorsandi, SDC performs both locally and internationally at various events such as cultural festivals, school & library educational programs, and formal concerts. Please contact us to book an event, enroll in classes, or audition for the company.