Why Don't You Dance? Hannah Darabi

June 26 – November 1, 2026, Photo Elysée, Lausanne

Hannah Darabi, excerpt from the video Sepideh, from the series Follow the Beat, Why Don’t You Dance, 2026 © Hannah Darabi

Darabi’s project Why Don’t You Dance? is inspired by the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, a recent nationwide protest against the restrictive laws imposed on women by the Iranian government. The exhibition is divided into three sections, each centering on a pivotal figure from the Iranian popular dance scene. The parts function independently while also connecting to the others across time and between Iran and its diaspora.

Hannah Darabi’s image stages dance not as spectacle, but as a charged political gesture. The sparse studio setting, the deliberately awkward poses, and the presence of video within the frame create a tension between performance, rehearsal, and archival memory. In the context of Why Don’t You Dance? the photograph speaks to Darabi’s wider investigation of popular dance as a form of identity-based resistance, connecting contemporary bodies to histories of censorship, exile, and joyful resilience. 

Courtesy of Photo Elysée, Lausanne.