Dance to Liberty
Join us in preparing to celebrate Nowruz 2025 through dance, one that represents you, your neighborhood, and your community! By opting in, you’ll have access to dance instruction sessions where you’ll learn and rehearse a specific dance routine, make friends, and find opportunities to develop a community.
Details:
Who can attend?
- This year, we’re focusing on these neighborhoods in L.A.: Brentwood, Westwood, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Tarzana, Woodland Hills, & West Hills.
- If you live in or frequent a library branch in one of these neighborhoods, consider joining this program.
What will I take away?
- 10 instructor-led dance lessons
- 10 community development programs
- Additional practice sessions
- Many friendships to be made and much fun to be had!
What types of dance will be taught?
- The dances will be choreographed to infuse elements of a specific Persian dance style with a global counterpart.
- A total of three dances will be developed. Each site/location will offer one of the three dances.
What are the locations and schedules of the programs?
| Neighborhoods | Program Site | Dance Style | Day | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woodland Hills & West Hills | Woodland Hills Branch Library | Contemporary with elements of modern Persian dance | Mondays starting December 2, 2024 | 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. |
| Brentwood & Westwood | Westwood Branch Library | Argentine tango with elements of Kurdish dance | Wednesdays starting December 4, 2024 | 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. |
| Sherman Oaks, Encino & Tarzana | Encino-Tarzana Branch Library | Hip Hop with elements of Bandari dance | Saturdays starting December 7, 2024 | 2 - 4 p.m. |
- Instructions begin during the first week of December 2024 and weekly programs continue through the second week of March 2025.
- Final performance will be on March 16, 2025, 1:30 - 4 p.m. at Los Angeles Central Library.
How does this relate to the Nowruz Festival?
- You and your peers will bring your dance routine to Mark Taper stage at Central Library on March 16, 2025 and share the joy of Nowruz with other library patrons.
- You will dance not only to share your cultural heritage but also to represent your neighborhood at the Nowruz Festival.
- You will have Shally Zomorodi, morning news anchor, award-winning journalist, and author by your side, as your cheerleader along the way and the storyteller on the Nowruz Festival day.
This program is supported in part by the Racial Equity Action Board (REAB), Friends of Donald Bruce Kaufman-Brentwood Branch Library, Friends of the Encino-Tarzana Library, Friends of the Platt Library, Friends of the Sherman Oaks Library, Friends of the Westwood Library, and Friends of the Woodland Hills Library.
Please complete this form to express your interest in joining this program series. One of our librarians will contact you by phone to complete your registration. Please note that space is limited, and filling out this form does not guarantee you a spot. If you have additional questions, please contact us at 310-390-3454 or Persian@lapl.org.