Remarks made by Her Majesty Shahbanou Farah Pahlavi
at the World Premiere of the Ballet "Zal and Rudabeh" April 8, 2001 Sarasota, Florida:

The Honorable Members of the Board of Trustees, Mr. de Warren, and dear guests:

My compatriots and I gathered here tonight are very touched that our great poet Ferdowsi is being honored with the ballet production of  "Zal and Rudabeh" under the artistic direction of Mr. Robert de Warren. We thank the friends of Sarasota Ballet for making it possible for Mr. de Warren to fullfill his life long dream.

Ferdowsi is the greatest Epic poet of Iran whose main objective was to tell the story of his homeland, to preserve the Persian Culture and to safeguard our national identity. Many Iranians of all walks of life can recite by heart verses from the "Shanameh" (The Book of Kings). For many generations, narrators have traveled from village to village and re-enacted legendary tales from the Shahnameh to eager audiences gathered anywhere from coffee shops to theatres.

Mr. de Warren spent 11 years in Iran as the director of the ballet company at "roudaki Hall". While in Iran he found time from his principal duties to travel extensively throughout different regions in order to revive our folk dances. His efforts and direction resulted in a better understanding and cataloging of ouyr indigenous music , costumes and dances.

I am sure his contribution to Sarasota Ballet will be valuable and under his artistic leadership the Sarasota Ballet will achieve greater heights.

I want to end by saying that I am certain that light will overcome darkness, and Iran, alike the legendary bird "Simorgh of Shahnameh, will once again rise from her ashes.

Farah Pahlavi

The Sarasota Ballet of Florida
Robert de Warren, Artistic Director/CEO
Proudly Presents the World Premiere
Of ZAL & RUDABEH

April 5 – 8, 2001
Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
Sarasota, Florida

Robert de Warren, choreographer of Zal & Rudabeh, spent eleven years in Iran from 1965-1976, directing the National Ballet and creating the National Folklore Society. He has incorporated into the new ballet his comprehensive research into all aspects of Persian culture. He has chosen the epic poems of the 11th century Persian poet, Ferdowsi, as his iinspiration for the theme on which the ballet is based.

Persian culture, in de Warren’s opinion, represents a beauty unparalleled in terms of fantasy, color and rhythm, and it is these different aspects of Iranian culture that he hopes to capture in the production of Zal & Rudabeh. Bringing to the stage an entirely new concept in theatrical dance, de Warren presents an exotic ballet woven around the epic love story that conveys the thematic line from Ferdowsi’s poetry. Set to an original score inspired by Iranian musical modes and instruments and transposed for symphony orchestra, the ballet presents the legend of the remarkable love of Zal and Rudabeh.

A cosmopolitan committee has been formed to seek support for the world premiere production of Zal & Rudabeh. The organizers of the committee point out that since Robert de Warren’s international tours with the Mahalli Dancers, a group which he formed and trained in the 1970’s, there has not been any significant demonstration of Persian culture, despite the influence of this ancient culture in many fields, such as the arts, medicine, mathematics and philosophy.

In order to secure the creation of the work and ensure opportunities to tour the production, donations are being solicited as evidence of support for one of the oldest cultures in civilization. For more information on the Sarasota Ballet’s production of Zal & Rudabeh, or to participate in the fund raising efforts for the April 2001 performances and planned tours, contact the Development Department of the Sarasota Ballet.

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