Workshop/Lecture: Qajar Period Costuming - a look at the Qajar Hat with Dr. Robyn Friend

About the Lecture:

Robyn will present a workshop/lecture on The Qajar Hat, in two parts. In the first part she will talk about The Hat, showing images from the period, as well as some of her reconstructions. She will provide a list of materials and potential resources. Robyn will demonstrate the construction techniques and provide guidance as you begin to create your own unique Qajar hat. 
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Bio:⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠
Robyn Friend is a first-generation Bulgarian-American and life-long dancer whose interest in the languages, culture, and dance of the Silk Road began at its western end, in the Balkan region of the Ottoman Empire. Her encounter with Iranians while a teenager led her interests further east. She began her studies of Persian classical dance in informal settings, and later with Leona Wood and Haleh Farjah. Her first lessons in Iranian regional dance began with Iranian friends at UCLA, where she also pursued studies in Iranian languages (and earned her PhD) and world traditional dance.⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠
Working as a Persian dancer in the famous Delilah restaurant in Los Angeles during the 1070s, Robyn was able to watch many women dance who were born during the later years of the Qajar period. What she learned from these women combined with her other studies led her to her personal interpretation of the Qajar dance style. Robyn is now considered one of the premier sources of knowledge about Qajar dance, and has received the mark of approval from the founder of the International Qajar Studies Association, Mohammad Eskandari-Qajar.⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠
Robyn has taught many of the prominent teachers of Persian dance active today, including some who are teaching in this program: Natalie Nayun, Sharlyn Sawyer, Helene Eriksen, Hannah Romanawsky, and Helia Bandeh have all studied Persian dance with her.⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠
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⁠Learn more about Robyn on her website: www.robynfriend.com