Legacy
Historian of Iranian Institutional Dance
As the leading historian of Iranian institutional dance, Nima Kiann has conducted groundbreaking research that reconstructs an erased cultural narrative, laying the academic foundation for understanding ballet and stage dance traditions in Iran.
Rediscovering Iranian Institutional Dance
The historiography of Iranian dance, though vibrant in its oral traditions and embodied practices, has remained largely underdocumented—especially in academic literature. A number of researchers have contributed to the study of Iranian dance in general, particularly in the domains of folk, ritual, and popular dance forms. Among the most prominent figures in the post-revolutionary era is Dr. Anthony Shay, whose extensive body of scholarly work has explored choreographic forms across the Middle East, with significant focus on Persian dance. Ida Meftahi has also made contributions to the cultural politics of dance and performance in modern Iran, while others such as Azadeh Shams and Mohsen Mohammadi have explored gendered embodiment and cultural aesthetics. Despite these efforts, most post-revolutionary research has concentrated on non-institutional forms of dance, leaving the history of state-supported academic and professional dance—especially ballet—almost entirely neglected.
ACADEMIC LEGACY: Documenting the History of Iranian Ballet
In this context, the work of Nima Kiann marks a pioneering breakthrough. Following decades of silence surrounding the subject of ballet in Iran, Kiann emerged as the first scholar after the 1979 Islamic Revolution to investigate and document the forgotten history of institutional dance (Raqs-e Nahadi). This was an unwritten chapter in Iranian historiography. Ballet, as a state-sponsored and academically structured form of dance, had been established in Iran only a few decades prior to the revolution, and no systematic research had been conducted on its development. The only publication during the Pahlavi era that acknowledged ballet as an institutionalized state art form was issued by the Ministry of Culture and Arts on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of artistic activities under the Pahlavi monarchy. After the fall of the monarchy, the Iranian National Ballet Company was disbanded and virtually erased from public memory. As a result, ballet’s place in the cultural history of Iran was overlooked both inside and outside the country.
To reclaim the past, we must unveil hidden histories of Iranian dance.Nima Kiann
RESEARCH & PUBLICATIONS: Nima Kiann and the Story of Institutional Dance in Iran
Kiann was the first to address this historical void. His scholarly essay, “The History of Ballet in Iran,” published in the academic volume Dance in Iran – Past and Present, represents the first and only comprehensive study of Iranian ballet and institutional dance. The book, a product of a research collaboration with Goethe University in Köln, Germany, includes Kiann’s groundbreaking essay that methodically and chronologically reconstructs the formation, rise, and dissolution of ballet as an institutional art in Iran. He introduces for the first time the term “institutional dance” (Raqs-e Nahadi) as a distinct category within Iranian cultural history, tracing the artistic, administrative, and political developments that enabled the creation of the Iranian National Ballet Company, while also identifying the major Iranian and international figures who shaped its evolution.
The same rigor and vision inform Kiann’s broader academic contributions. His authorship of the article “Persian Dance and its Forgotten History” reflects his commitment to unearthing and preserving aspects of Iranian dance heritage that had been lost or suppressed. Kiann has also written multilingual articles in internationally recognized platforms such as ICH Courier (Intangible Cultural Heritage Courier of Asia and the Pacific), published by the International Information and Networking Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage under the auspices of UNESCO. These articles have broadened international understanding of Persian dance heritage and established Kiann as a principal reference point in academic and cultural discourse surrounding Iranian dance.
Currently, Nima Kiann is preparing a greatly expanded and refined bilingual edition of his ballet historiography, featuring new archival material, updated analysis, and a high-quality design concept. This forthcoming publication will further solidify his position as the pioneer historian of Iranian institutional dance in the post-revolutionary era. Through his meticulous documentation and theoretical framing, Kiann has not only reclaimed a lost chapter of Iranian cultural history but has also provided future scholars with the tools and terminology to engage with it critically and expansively.