Ballet Afsaneh

Ballet Afsaneh the professional performance ensemble of the Afsaneh Art & Culture Society is based in the San Francisco Bay Area of California in the USA. This dynamic group presents performances and activities featuring dance, poetry, and music of the Silk Road —the historic trade route stretching 7,000 miles across Central Asia from the China Sea in the east to the Mediterranean in the west. The Ballet Afsaneh repertoire displays a wide range, from glittering lyrical fairytale to incisive, thought provoking, contemporary work.

Traditional repertoire includes pieces representing; Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Armenia, Turkey, Chinese Turkistan, Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, and North India. In our rapidly changing world the need for cultural understanding and preservation has never been greater; Ballet Afsaneh brings to life the history, poetry and spiritual images of these enduring cultures.

Many of the 15 core dancers, poets and musicians performing with the company are from Central Asian families, a majority are women. Ballet Afsaneh often performs at large mainstream venues and provides programming for many smaller, community-oriented events as well. The company occasionally tours both nationally and internationally.

Since its founding by Artistic Director Sharlyn Sawyer in 1986 Ballet Afsaneh and the Afsaneh Art & Culture Society have produced critically acclaimed programs for San Francisco's M.H. De Young Museum and the Cabrillo Music Festival. They have been featured regularly in San Francisco’s Ethnic Dance Festival at the Palace of Fine Arts Theater, and have collaborated with Cal Performances presenting 'Dances of the Silk Road' at UC Berkeley's Zellerbach Hall. The company has toured in the former Soviet Central Asian Republics and sponsors international artists for tours to the United States.