Farzaneh Kaboli is a ballet dancer, choreographer, stage and film actress. She was one of the country’s most famous ballerinas before the Revolution. The Islamic Republic imposed a ban on dancing after the 1979 revolution. Despite severe restrictions, Ms. Kaboli continued to pursue her artistic activities and worked as a choreographer, teaching ‘form and rhythmic movements,’ which replaced ‘dance’ under the Islamic Republic. Kaboli was born into a musical family and began dancing at an early age. She was a champion high jumper for several years before enrolling in the National and Folklore Dance Academy, at her father’s encouragement. She studied dance under the British choreographer Robert de Warren, and received acting training from her husband, Hadi Marzban, a theatre director.
