Desert Dancer: True story of the YouTube choreographers

A new film reveals how Iranian youth circumvent the restrictions on dance in their country. Tom Brook talks to its cast and director.

It’s been called “Rosewater meets Footloose or Dirty Dancing”; a new film set in Iran celebrates freedom of expression through rhythm. Desert Dancer tells the true story of a group of friends who studied YouTube videos for tips on technique in a country where dancing in public is banned.

Yet its director claims he wasn’t aiming to be political. “All the storytelling is in the dance – it’s not a political film in any way,” Richard Raymond tells Tom Brook. “It’s a positive film about Iran, it’s a film about the heroes of Iran, who are the Iranian youth… how they exist despite the restrictions imposed upon them.”

And while it seems to focus on choreography rather than protest, the film does offer an insight into those who fight against different types of censorship, according to the film’s star Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire). “Whether it’s journalism, whether it’s a woman’s right to choose who she wants to marry… it’s all kinds of expression, we’re using dance in this particular film.”

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