Afshin Ghaffarian ( fa, افشین غفاریان, ; born 1986 in

Mashhad Mashhad ( fa, مشهد, Mašhad ), also spelled Mashad, is the List of Iranian cities by population, second-most-populous city in Iran, located in the relatively remote north-east of the country about from Tehran. It serves as the capital of R ...

) is an

Iranian Iranian may refer to: * Iran, a sovereign state * Iranian peoples, the speakers of the Iranian languages. The term Iranic peoples is also used for this term to distinguish the pan ethnic term from Iranian, used for the people of Iran * Iranian lan ...

choreographer Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

dancer Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoi ...

, and

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

, participating primarily with the group "Reformances". ''

Desert Dancer ''Desert Dancer'' is a 2014 British biographical drama film directed by Richard Raymond and written by Jon Croker. Starring Reece Ritchie and Freida Pinto, the film is based on the true story of Afshin Ghaffarian, a young, self-taught dancer in I ...

'' is a 2014 movie inspired by his life. Ghaffarian was portrayed by

Reece Ritchie Reece Ritchie (born 23 July 1986) is an English actor. He is known for his film roles, such as Moha in ''10,000 BC'' (2008), Bis in '' Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time'' (2010), and Iolaus in ''Hercules'' (2014). He starred as Jay in the Bri ...

Biography

Ghaffarian started his art career in 1999, in Saba Art Center. He holds a high school diploma in

Cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking ...

and a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

Theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

from

Islamic Azad University Central Tehran Branch Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch ( fa, دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی واحد تهران مرکزی, ''Daneshgah-e Âzad-e Eslâmi-ye Vahed-e Tehran Mirkâzi'') is a private research university located in Tehran, Iran. Founded ...

. In late 2009, he received media attention after his performance in "Strange But True", part of Iranian cultural festival in Mulheim an der Ruhr,

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. As the play ended, he appeared with a green

bracelet A bracelet is an article of jewellery that is worn around the wrist. Bracelets may serve different uses, such as being worn as an ornament. When worn as ornaments, bracelets may have a supportive function to hold other items of decoration, suc ...

, a sign of

Iranian Green Movement The Iranian Green Movement ( fa, جنبش سبز ایران) or Green Wave of Iran ( fa, موج سبز ایران), also referred to as the Persian Awakening or Persian Spring by the western media, refers to a political movement that arose after ...

, chanting "

Where is my vote? The Iranian Green Movement ( fa, جنبش سبز ایران) or Green Wave of Iran ( fa, موج سبز ایران), also referred to as the Persian Awakening or Persian Spring by the western media, refers to a political movement that arose after ...

". He did not return to Iran and went to France as a refugee where he started the dance company "Reformances". He met and collaborated with

Shahrokh Moshkin Ghalam Shahrokh Moshkin Ghalam or Shahrokh Moshkinghalam ( fa, شاهرخ مشکین‌قلم, Šâhrukh Muškîn-Qalam; born April 21, 1967, in Khorramshahr) is an Iranian modern dancer who lives and works in Paris. A graduate in history of art and t ...

in France. During 2010-2011, he attended Centre National de la Danse. Ghaffarian is the founder of the "Reformances" company (a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsReform Reform ( lat, reformo) means the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The use of the word in this way emerges in the late 18th century and is believed to originate from Christopher Wyvill#The Yorkshire Associati ...

'' and ''

Performance A performance is an act of staging or presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment. It is also defined as the action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function. Management science In the work place ...

''). In 2014, Afshin renounced his refugee status in France and he decided to go to Iran, a travel which put an end to his five years of exile, but he is still living in Paris. He is currently studying political science at the Sorbonne in Paris.

Books, article and interviews

*(Persian) Hervé Pons, Le corps de l'acteur ou la nécessité de trouver un autre langage: six entretiens romains avec Pippo Delbono, Translated by Afshin Ghaffarian, 2015. * Thomas Richards. ''At Work with Grotowski on Physical Actions''. Translated by Afshin Ghaffarian. Ghatreh, 2011. . * Afshin Ghaffarian, Baptiste Pizzinat.
Café Des Réformances
'. La Compagnie des réformances, 2013. . * Afshin Ghaffarian. "I condemned myself to exile". La revu
6mois
, 2014. * Afshin Ghaffarian. "Interview with Afshin Ghaffarian: from desert dancer to reformancer…"
Reformancers.com
2015. * Afshin Ghaffarian. "Interview with P E O P L E F O L I O"
peoplefolio.com

References

External links

Official website
Living people Iranian male stage actors Iranian male dancers Iranian emigrants to France People from Mashhad 1986 births Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch alumni {{Iran-actor-stub