The Four Seasons of Hamadan is a duet for solo violin and dancer that interweaves Persian and Jewish music and dance traditions while reimagining that material through a contemporary lens. Composed by ongoing collaborators Iranian-American Kian Ravaei and Choreographed by Jewish-American Annie Kahane, The Four Seasons of Hamadan strives to express the potential for intercultural harmony through live art. The material in this project emerges from ongoing research the artists undertook into their own and each other’s cultural heritages through Iranian and Jewish folk dances as well as Persian and Klezmer music.
Programmed together on a shared evening, these works share curiosity about lineage and how its relevance shapes the present. Both projects are manifestations of extensive research in music, performance, and culture over time.
