COLLECTIONS
Nima Kiann Collection
In response to the cessation of ballet and institutional dance in Iran, a foundation emerged 23 years later to collect evidence of its endangered heritage.
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A Legacy of Preservation
The Nima Kiann Collection stands as a pivotal archive in the preservation and study of Iranian ballet history. From an early age, Nima Kiann exhibited a profound interest in dance and ballet, amassing documents, images, books, and related materials even before commencing formal training. As a student at Tehran’s School of Fine Arts, he frequently incorporated dance and ballet motifs into his artwork, despite the restrictive cultural climate of post-revolutionary Iran.
Reincarnation of a Heritage
In the mid-1990s, during his studies at the École Supérieure de Danse de Cannes in France, Nima Kiann encountered an old publication from the Iranian National Ballet Company (INBC) in a Parisian antiquarian bookstore. This discovery ignited his commitment to researching and collecting information about the INBC, which had been dissolved following the 1979 Islamic Revolution. His efforts culminated in the establishment of Les Ballets Persans in Sweden, effectively reviving the spirit of the INBC in exile.
We preserve so future generations may know Iran’s rich dance.Nima Kiann
The collection grew to become the only known and most comprehensive archive of Iranian institutional dance outside Iran, serving as a critical resource for scholars and enthusiasts. It laid the groundwork for Nima Kiann’s extensive research and forthcoming publications on Iranian dance and ballet.
The tragic loss of the Roudaki Hall archive—partially looted and burned in the aftermath of the revolution—left a significant void in Iran’s cultural history. Nima Kiann’s archive has been instrumental in reconstructing this lost heritage, providing invaluable insights into the nation’s ballet legacy.
It is important to note that a portion of the Les Ballets Persans archive was lost due to personal circumstances, highlighting the challenges of preserving cultural history in the diaspora.
Initially, Nima Kiann’s research was based on the limited materials he personally collected and a few biographical accounts from individuals associated with Iranian ballet. The subsequent donation of the Saghabashi Collection enriched the archive, unveiling new historical facts that necessitated revisions and expansions of earlier research.
The Nima Kiann Collection stands as a testament to the resilience of cultural preservation and continues to be an indispensable resource for understanding the evolution of ballet in Iran.The archive of the Iranian ballet and institutional dance has been lost several times but has been reincarnated every time. The journey of this heritage is long and complicated until it finds its permanent home back in Iran, perhaps as part of a complex for dance research and preservation, the biggest one in the Middle East: the National Dance Museum of Iran. (Make a link to the subpage of PROSPECTIVE, National Dance Museum of Iran).