{"id":9848,"date":"2023-02-28T15:34:26","date_gmt":"2023-02-28T15:34:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/uncategorized\/shirin-abedi\/"},"modified":"2023-07-19T14:00:39","modified_gmt":"2023-07-19T14:00:39","slug":"shirin-abedi","status":"publish","type":"magazin","link":"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/en\/magazine\/awarded\/shirin-abedi\/","title":{"rendered":"Shirin Abedi"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n\n \"\"\n \n Yasamin (22) on the roof of her house in Tehran. <\/span>\n \n <\/figure>\n\n \n\n\n\n \n\n
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“For a long time, parents in Iran believed good girls didn’t dance in public.” <\/strong> \"\" Shirin Abedi returns to her native Tehran for a report on ballerinas.<\/p>\n

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The group \u201cAlternative Motion\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0rehearses for a show that is later cancelled. Iranian media circulated a video of the dance rehearsals shortly before the premiere. This caused sharp criticism.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n \n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Mojdeh often shares videos<\/strong> of her dancing or training on Instagram. For her, this is one of her few joys. For her safety, she keeps her account private \u2013 other Iranian dancers have been arrested for their dance videos.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n \n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIf they take dance away from me,<\/strong> it\u2019s like they\u2019re taking my life.\u201d \u2014 Mojdeh (20) dreams of becoming a professional ballet dancer.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n \n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Yasamin (22)<\/strong> spends her evening with her boyfriend at an artificial lake in western Tehran. In the past, couples could be arrested for this by the morality police.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n \n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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According to Iranian<\/strong> national media, these women are a tiny minority.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n \n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI had to fight<\/strong> with my parents for my freedom.\u201d Reyhaneh does the splits on the sofa while her brother tickles her. By now, Reyhaneh’s parents even ask her to dance at family gatherings.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n \n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Reyhaneh sits on<\/strong> the floor of the Tehran subway after a long day at work.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n \n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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After a yoga class,<\/strong> Reyhaneh hugs her friend. The two have known each other since middle school.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n \n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Reyhaneh teaches<\/strong> several times a week and, in turn, spends her income on dance lessons and travel.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n \n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Elham finds that Islam<\/strong> and ballet are not contradictory.<\/strong> She did not find a good ballet teacher in her city. Therefore, she flies to Tehran every Friday to attend dance classes. To receive training on an international level, she travels to Armenia and Georgia.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n \n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Although Yasamin’s mother<\/strong> is a practicing Muslim, she fully supports her daughter.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n \n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Perhaps the saddest thing<\/strong> about ballet dancing in Iran is that fathers can never attend their daughters’ performances.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n \n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Nona (18) is studying<\/strong> chemistry in Tehran, but she is very determined to pursue a career as a dancer: “Before I went on stage at my last performance, I realized that this is all I want to do in my life,” she says.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n \n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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True, there are performances<\/strong> with dancing and singing for women in Iran.<\/strong> However, there are no pictures of such events: All bags are checked at the entrance, cell phones and cameras have to be handed in.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n \n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n

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