Artist Profile #3:
Sashar Zarif Dance Theatre (SZDT)
Performs Sat Jan 16th at 2:10pm.
#44daystildanceweekend16 #danceTO
Sashar Zarif Dance Theatre (SZDT) is an internationally renowned Toronto-based dance theatre organization founded in 1994 by award winning multi-disciplinary performing artist, educator and researcher, Sashar Zarif.
Zarif’s artistic works are deeply rooted in the historical and cultural memories of many peoples. The company’s repertoire, often driven by narrative storytelling, aims to highlight the essence of what it means to be human while shedding a light on the darker aspects of humanity. It continues to build a unique, multi-disciplinary body of work connected to traditional art forms and cultures but offers it through the lens of a new and contemporary perspective. The company’s work is based on a foundation of research, education and creation. These three fundamentals enable Zarif to discover and restore centuries-old work and present it to today’s audiences from a 21st century perspective. The company is a platform for artistic director Sashar Zarif’s work and his aim is to create work that touches audiences with a plural understanding and consciousness that is not “lost in translation.” Noted in the National and International dance for community for the research that produced two unique artistic and pedagogical practices, Moving Memories and the Dance of Mugham, Zarif is forging a new way of educating about about identity, culture and what unifies us as human beings. Through extensive touring across 30 countries including Americas, Europe, North Africa, Central and Western Asia, and Middle East, Zarif has spent his professional life promoting cultural dialogue through intensive fieldworks, residencies, performances, and creative collaborations. His research interests are identity, memory, globalization, and cross-cultural collaborations. His artistic practice invites a convergence of creative and cultural…