Persian music and dance
Mehrnam Rastegari & Julia Kolakova
LEIMAY PRESENTING SERIES SUMMER/FALL 2025: OUTSIGHT
~A performance of two original tunes composed by Mehrnam, on the Kamancheh with Julia joining on dance~
The performance shows the combination of dance and music. Persian culture is an ancient tradition and since ancient times music and dance were tied together, now we as NYC artists living in a modern era, crafting old arts are trying to bring those traditions to another dimension of living.
Documentation
An afternoon of performance featuring works by LEIMAY Incubator Program alumni and community members — a group of local and international artists working within movement-based practices.
Saturday August 30th:
Shira Kagan-Shafman – Tethered
Emilija Berga – Revisit
Sylvain Souklaye – A Tipping Point
Sunday August 31st:
Kanami Kusajima – Wind
Synead Cidney Nichols – There Is Something In Her Blood
Mehrnam Rastegari & Julia Kolakova – Persian music and dance
Object Identifier
AMP.PRG.2025.7000.6Year Created
2025Date Recorded
20250831Language
EnglishCurated Filters
Space / Location
Premiere Venue
Dorothy Strelsin Memorial Community GardenAugust 30-31, 2025
174 Suffolk Street, Lower East Side, NY
Mehrnam Rastegari is a prominent Persian musician, award-winning film score composer,
singer, violinist, and master Kamancheh player, who brings Persian music in new directions by combining it with rock and modern fusion styles.
Julia Kulakova is performing and teaching artist, choreographer, and artistic director of Bahar Dance Ensemble and NY Persian Parade. Her varied dance and martial arts expertise, and improvisational skills led to collaborations with such bands NY Gypsy All Stars, Romashka, Frank London’s Klezmer Orchestra, and Mehrnam Rastegari’s Chogan, among others.
Photos by Benja Thompson
OUTSIGHT is a performance series presented by LEIMAY in partnership with the New York Restoration Project. It features public performances by international and local artists working within areas of dance, theater, performance art, experimental music, and butoh. Most OUTSIGHT artists have been part of the LEIMAY Incubator Program which provides them with process-focused resources. The performances are set within one of NYRP’s community gardens.
OUTSIGHT is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and the Mertz Gilmore Foundation.
This year, one OUTSIGHT artist is proudly sponsored by Studio Birdhaus. Since 2012, Studio Birdhaus has served as a platform for sharing embodied practice through storytelling and performance & visual arts.
