A daughter of Persian exiles dances with the Berlin State Ballet. Her own works draw attention to the plight of women in Iran.
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00:00Vivian Asal-Kunavar dances for freedom.
00:09Not just her own, but for women and young girls in Iran who cannot express themselves
00:15openly.
00:19Dance for me is a way of expression, like language.
00:24Instead of speaking with your mouth and your tongue, it will be like my body will express
00:30all the feelings, all the stories I have in my brain.
00:34Vivian is a member of the Staatsballett Berlin, where she has found a home as a professional
00:39dancer.
00:41The company has over 80 members, so how freely can she actually express herself there?
00:47Yeah, it's quite hard, because ballet has such a deep classical core and a structure
00:56where we kind of want to keep it the same way because of the technique.
01:03But I think with time, there's more freedom.
01:09Vivian was born and raised in Sweden, where her dance studies began.
01:13But her parents are from Iran.
01:17Dancing in public is generally forbidden there, especially among women.
01:22So what happens if you're caught?
01:28What I know of is that people get, for example, arrested.
01:34Their Instagram will be shut down, confiscated, maybe their phones.
01:42There will be definitely trouble.
01:45The morality police would come after you.
01:49But why is dance perceived so negatively there?
01:53I guess it's because it's a way of expression.
01:58It's something different from speaking, and it evolves with your body.
02:04And it's something that you need to cover in Iran.
02:08In defiance of that ban from afar, Vivian choreographs her own pieces with a strong
02:13message.
02:14Stop the oppression of women in Iran.
02:22You can't silence her.
02:25I am her.
02:27And she is me.
02:30Vivian has never been to Iran herself, but she's aware of the increased radicalization
02:35there.
02:40I think it all started around the time of COVID.
02:44I had a lot of time to think and reflect.
02:47I was reading a lot online.
02:49And I think one specific thing that made me really emotional was just hearing about this
02:58honor killing about a father in Iran that killed his daughter because she was in love
03:08and she was ready to run away with her partner.
03:12Has she received any feedback from Iranian women about her work or the message that she's
03:17trying to convey?
03:21I have been in touch with some dance students in Iran and also women that have escaped that
03:32have come here and they're dancing here.
03:36And I've been in touch with them and try to help them when it comes to dance.
03:43Considering that oppressive regimes often limit art and freedom, does she feel her work
03:49might sometimes be perceived as a threat in Iran?
03:56I've never thought of it.
03:58I've never worried about it.
04:02I've just been really focused about like, I'm at this point, I'm at a place where I
04:09can speak freely about it.
04:11And that's the only thing I think about that I have that voice.
04:19Vimina Sao Cunavar's dance and with it, her voice are becoming more powerful and hopefully
04:24helping women without a voice to be heard.