ENCHANTING TRICK
Nikan Foundation
The National Foundation for the Promotion and Dissemination of
Music and Dance for Orphaned Children.
category:
Charity
services:
Education, Fostering, Cultivation
Date:
To be informed soon
team:
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Reviving a Forgotten Dream: Art, Compassion, and a New Cultural Legacy
In the final, tumultuous years before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, a visionary idea began to take shape within the cultural circles of Iran’s monarchy. The concept was simple, yet transformative: to create a home for orphaned children — not merely a shelter, but an institution where these children could flourish, where their talents could be nurtured through comprehensive education in music, dance, and the arts. This was not just an act of charity; it was a visionary state-supported cultural initiative to intertwine humanitarian care with artistic empowerment.
According to an interview conducted in November 2020 by Nima Kiann, founder of Les Ballets Persans, this idea had reached the highest echelons of the Pahlavi court. Ali Pourfarrokh, the last artistic director of the Iranian National Ballet Company, recounted how he had discussed this initiative with Her Majesty Empress Farah. Inspired by existing European models, they began exploring its practical realization — a charitable yet elite school that would raise orphaned children into professional artists, instilling in them both skill and dignity. Tragically, history interrupted the dream.
A New Beginning: Nima Kiann Steps Forward
Now, more than four decades later, Nima Kiann takes up the mantle of that unfinished endeavor. As an artist with deep personal and professional ties to Iran’s lost ballet legacy, Kiann’s dedication to cultural restoration has been evident throughout his career — from reviving forgotten choreographies to uncovering lost archives. But the Nikan Foundation marks a new chapter: a humanitarian and educational initiative that transcends performance, aiming to build a lasting institution of hope, care, and creativity for Iran’s most vulnerable youth.
Hope blossoms where art heals. Nikan leads the way.Nima Kiann
This project is not a nostalgic reimagining — it is a pragmatic and visionary plan that aligns with Kiann’s broader efforts to reconstruct Iran’s cultural infrastructure for a democratic and post-theocratic future.
A National Home for the Orphaned and Gifted
The Nikan Foundation will function as a nationwide network of academies providing permanent residence for orphaned children. These academies will deliver not only general education but also rigorous training in classical music and dance, alongside psychological and emotional support. This integrated model envisions well-rounded, culturally literate citizens equipped with the tools to lead enriched lives — and perhaps, in time, to become Iran’s next generation of artists and cultural leaders.
The Foundation’s name, Nikan, meaning “the virtuous” in Persian, reflects its moral and cultural mission. At its heart lies a belief in the power of the arts as a form of healing, expression, and social upliftment — values that have long been suppressed yet never extinguished in Iranian society.
From Mudra to Nikan: A European Inspiration
Interestingly, a historical European precedent influenced the original concept discussed by Pourfarrokh and Empress Farah. In Belgium, the celebrated choreographer Maurice Béjart had established Mudra in 1970 — a revolutionary performing arts school that integrated training in dance, theater, and music. Mudra welcomed students from all walks of life and emphasized discipline, creativity, and cultural synthesis. Although not focused on orphans specifically, its ethos of educating the whole artist in a communal, life-shaping environment echoes strongly in the vision of the Nikan Foundation.
This global influence is further proof that art knows no borders — and that the Iranian cultural renaissance envisioned through the Nikan Foundation belongs to a larger, humanistic tradition of using art to elevate and empower.
A Cultural Monument of the Future
The Nikan Foundation is not merely a charitable enterprise. It is a cultural monument of the future, a place where a new generation of Iranian children can live, learn, and thrive. It represents a synthesis of heritage and progress, drawing from the lost aspirations of Iran’s artistic elite while anchoring itself in modern values of inclusivity, education, and compassion.
This initiative also underscores Nima Kiann’s evolving role — not only as a cultural preservationist but as a founder of transformative institutions that will help shape Iran’s future cultural landscape. By reviving this dream, Kiann ensures that the legacy of Iran’s lost ballet is not merely remembered, but reborn — in the hearts and bodies of children whose futures now hold new meaning.