Why Don't You Dance? by Hannah Darabi at Photo Elysée

Hannah Darabi, winner of the 2025 Prix Elysée, delves into Iran’s popular dance scene with Why Don’t You Dance?

Overview

By combining photographs, videos and archival pieces, the artist shows how, depending on the social and political context, people – especially members of the Iranian diaspora – can use dancing as a way of expressing their identity and freeing themselves. Inspired by the autobiography of Mahvash, a leading Iranian cabaret figure of the 1950s, and by karaoke evenings at the Cabaret Tehran in Los Angeles, Darabi links past and present dance practices.

The Prix Elysée is an award created by Photo Elysée and Parmigiani Fleurier in an exclusive partnership.