JAMAL – Winner of the 2002 James Irvine Dance Makers Fellowship Award, followed his dream, from the mean streets of South Tehran to the stage of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion of the Los Angeles County Music Center.

Choreographer Jamal has come a long way. For the last 25 years, Jamal, a renowned visual artist, has shown his works in prestigious art galleries throughout the United States. The artistic challenge that he has set himself is to create a bridge between the visual arts and dance. “When I am on the stage, I am a painter of movement,” he stated.

He was invited to join the AVAZ International Dance Theatre because of his unique vision for creating dances that come from deep within his cultural roots. His interest in creating choreography derives from his intense devotion to the exploration of movement, color, forms and space.

A native of Iran, Jamal acquired a deep knowledge of Iranian folklore and dance traditions through years of extensive travel and research in his native country where he learned many dances in the villages and city streets of Iran. In a recent interview, he stated that, “for me this dance tradition is like a form of ritual and requires a serious approach for its presentation.” The Los Angeles Times enthusiastically praised Jamal’s vision in his new choreographies and musical arrangements that have been performed by AVAZ, as well as recent works he choreographed in collaboration with Anthony Shay, calling the two “masters of antique Persian classicism.”

Now the dream has come true. Due to the excellence of his recent choreographic works, Jamal’s work will be toured nationally in the 2002/03 season, through the inclusion of AVAZ International Dance Theatre in the prestigious National Dance Project Touring Program, administered by the New England Foundation for the Arts. AVAZ received a MAP Fund grant from the Rockefeller Foundation for the creation of a new work beginning in October 2002.

The work premiered on July 19, 2003 to rave reviews. It marked the inaugural concert of the 10th season of the Luckman Fine Arts Complex on the campus of California State University, Los Angeles.

In 1999, Jamal received the Lester Horton Award of the Dance Resource Center of Greater Los Angeles for “Outstanding Achievement in the Staging of Traditional Dance.” Jamal received Lester Horton outstanding achievement awards for 1999, 2000, and 2001. In 2002 Jamal received the most prestigious grant in California, the James Irvine Dance Makers Award.

Jamal immigrated to the United States in 1975 to pursue a career as a professional performing and visual artist. In 1983 he completed his formal education, receiving a BA and MA in Fine Arts from California State University, Los Angeles. After working several years establishing his career as a professional visual artist, he began his career in 1990 with AVAZ serving as associate director and choreographer.

Since 1998, he has served as co-artistic director and created several choreographies for the company in the past decade. In 2002, Jamal became the Artistic Director of the ensemble. By serving as a master teacher and advisor in teaching workshops in traditional Iranian solo improvised dance, Jamal has enriched AVAZ’s educational outreach program. He was invited to give a workshop for the 32nd International Congress on Research in Dance (CORD) Conference at Pomona College, Dec. 2-4, 1999.

His “Funeral for a Fallen Hero,” a contemporary choreography based on funeral customs of Luristan, Iran, to honor the victims of the September 11, 2001 attack, was performed simultaneously in Los Angeles, San Diego (multiple performances), San Jose (multiple performances), Berkeley, CA, St. Paul, MI, Washington, D.C., and Miami, FL. Jamal taught Middle Eastern dance at the Los Angeles High School for the Performing Arts for the 2001-2003 academic years.

In addition, he conducts dance workshops in Iranian communities throughout the United States to pass his legacy to new generations of Iranian-American youth. He also conducts master workshops for dance departments in colleges and universities.

Currently, he is taking a new, more contemporary path for his choreographic expression—one that is revolutionary in its blend of East and West. Jamal has served as a member of the board of the Dance Resource Center of the Greater Los Angeles Area and produced the Lester Horton Awards ceremony for the years 1999 and 2000.

Jamal - Resume

Choreographies

His works have been primarily performed by the AVAZ International Dance Theatre and he presently serves as Artistic Director of the ensemble.

1992. “Shateri/Jaheli,” an urban folk dance from Tehran. This work became an icon of AVAZ IDT. “Usul-e daireh.” An etude featuring the dancers in a formal warm up using Iranian classical dance movements.

1993. “Harvest Dance of Gilan.” A folk dance of the northern province of Gilan. Also created the costumes. “Samarqand.” Performed and composed the musical accompaniment and created the costumes.

1994. “Dances of the Persian Gulf I.” Folk dance suite. Also created the costumes.

1995. “Dasbandi: Dances of Baluchistan.” A suite of women’s dances from the southeastern province of Iran. “Gol-ha (the roses).” A classical dance suite from the 19th royal court of Persia. Also created the costumes, and a set piece.

1996. “Armenian Suite.” A suite of classical and folk dances from Armenia. Also created the costumes. “Mehregan,” a suite of classical dances, inspired by 16th century Safavid dynasty painting. Also created the costumes. . “Qashq’ai Suite.” A suite of folk dances from the Southwestern Iranian tribe.

1997. “Shaghayegh.” Solo classical Persian dance. Also created the costume. “Tambourine dance.” Persian gypsy dance.

1998. Directed the AVAZ 20th Anniversary video documentary: “AVAZ in Performance. “Katta Uyin.” A Classical Uzbek dance. Also performed and composed the musical accompaniment and created the costumes. “Mahtab.” Classical dance from Bokhara. Also created the costumes. “Mazandaran.” A contemporary work based on folk dance movements from this northeastern province of Iran.

1999. “Silk Road Suite.” The 30 minute celebration of the Silk Road consisted of dances from the Chinese border to Turkey. “Azerbaijan Suite.” Dances from the northwest province of Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan. “Nabz (pulse).” A new suite of dances from the Persian Gulf. “Kuch (migration). A suite of folk dances from Luristan and Kurdistan.

2000. “Central Asian Suite,” a half hour suite of dances from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan. Also created the costumes. Performed as educational residency at the Hollywood Bowl.

2001. “Bazm.” A full length evening of Iranian songs and dances from 19th Century to contemporary Los Angeles. “Summer Nights in the Alahmbra” (in collaboration with Anthony Shay). A narrative of the Islamic presence and influence in Spain. Also created the costumes.

2002. “Funeral for a Fallen Hero.” A choreography created to remember those who fell in the attack of September 11, 2001. This work was performed throughout the United States at 12:00, including Los Angeles (members of five local dance groups performed at the Plaza of the Japan America Center), San Francisco, San Diego, San Jose, Minneapolis, Miami, Seattle, and Washington D.C.

“Charkh: Turning Through Time.” A contemporary work inspired by the poetry of Rumi and the spiritual movement practices of Sufi brotherhoods. This work was shown on National Public Television in 2003 and 2004.

2003. “Guran.” An evening length choreographic narrative drama. (Please see enclosed review.”

2004-2005. Creation of the “Golden Mask of Guran.” (Please see enclosed reviews.”

2006. “Tales of the Fox.” An hour-long dance drama taken from the ancient Persian tales of “Kalileh va Demneh.”

Awards:

2005 James Irvine Creation to Performance Grant

2003 Rockefeller MAP Fund

2002 James Irvine Dance Maker Award

2002 National Dance Organization/NEFA Touring award

2002/03 Ahmanson Foundation Award

2002 Nomination for Lester Horton Award for Outstanding Achievement in Choreography Lester Horton Award for Outstanding Dance Company Performance

1999, 2000 and 2001 Lester Horton Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design

1998 Command performance for HIH Farah Pahlavi, New York City

Contact Information:

kjamali@aol.com