Wandering with the Wind

Wandering with the Wind narrates a journey to all corners of Iran, from ancient times to today: a glimpse of a civilisation thousands of years old in which, from sea to desert, forest, plain, city and village, there was joy, celebration, epic and hope, among peoples of many tribes and languages, all Iranian, in festivals such as Sadeh, Tirgan, Mehrgan, Shahrivargan and Abangan, in company with the great masters of Persian literature. A weave of poetry, song, music and dance, in Persian with an English translation of the script summary. Three performances with the same structure and changing casts: Sacramento, Guild Theater, 27 May 2024 (premiere, for the Khordadgan festival, with the Sacramento Youth Band); Orange County, California Zoroastrian Center, 24 August 2024; Fresno, 16 November 2024.
Credits below are from the programme of the first performance (Wandering with the Wind 1, Sacramento, 27 May 2024); some performers changed in later performances. Performers and vocalists in order of appearance: Nima Safaie, Sima Khatami, Adam Hatefi, Sadegh Hatefi, Masoud Masoumi, Zhila Nasiri, Nika Hemati, Sepideh Niknam, Faezeh Javadi, Mahnaz Asadpour. Choreography and costumes: Farima Berenji; dancers: Simorgh Dance Collective and Misha Gerami. Musicians: Afshin Seysan (piano), Sima Khatami (mandolin), Nika Hemati (clarinet). Prologue «Where do you go»: lyrics by Mohammad Reza Shafiei Kadkani, melody by Sadegh Hatefi, composer Peyman Fallah, vocals Sima Khatami and Borzooieh Shad, English recitation Adam Hatefi. Iranian regional bands (recorded video), artistic director Behrouz Shiri: Baluchi, Luri and Bandari. Photography: Masoud Torabi.