Nejad Ahmadzadeh
Born in Trabzon, Turkey, of Iranian descent, Nejad Ahmadzadeh’s family moved to Iran in his early teens. One year after settling in Tehran, his father passed away, leaving the family in difficult circumstances. He balanced school with working as an apprentice in the Persian carpet business at Tehran’s Grand Bazaar.
Early Life and Introduction to Dance
The turning point in his life and career came when he responded to an advertisement by Nilla Cram Cook in the newspapers, becoming drawn to show business without initially knowing the specific details of the project. He had no formal dance education before joining Cram Cook’s "Revival of Ancient Iranian Arts" dance company in 1947. He remained a permanent member of the company alongside his wife, Aida Akhundzadeh (Haideh Ahmadzadeh), until 1953 and toured internationally.
Establishing Iran's National Ballet Institutions
In 1955, Nejad Ahmadzadeh was appointed by Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Arts to found and establish the National Ballet Academy of Iran. He established the Iranian National and Folk Dance, Song and Music Ensemble in 1959. Supported by the government, the ensemble toured internationally and participated in several folk dance festivals, such as Expo 1967 in Canada and Expo 1970 in Japan. He founded the Iranian National Ballet Company in 1958 and was a founding member of Tehran’s Roudaki Hall Opera. Upon the completion of the Opera House, he served as its manager, establishing its technical, administrative, and artistic sections. He organized various seminars and festivals, including the first International Film Festival of Iran and the Dance Festival of Iran at Roudaki Hall. He retired from the position of INBC’s artistic director in 1976 and was succeeded by Ali Pourfarrokh. After the revolution, he left his position as head of the National Dance Academy of Iran and moved with his wife, Haideh Ahmadzadeh, to Manchester, England. His professional artistic career concluded in 1979 at the age of fifty-nine in the aftermath of the Islamic Revolution.