TAN-NAVĀ
Performing Ensemble
About TAN-NAVĀ
Tan-navā is an Iranian performing ensemble based in Oslo. While TAN means body and NAVA means tune in Persian language, Tannava’s productions intertwines Iranian classical music and dance. 3 musicians and a dancer came together to form this band in 2019.
Hediyeh, the dancer, brings her 23 year experience in Iranian so-called classical dance and intertwines it with life-long experience of musicians. This brings about a unique marriage of the two artforms. Combination of three instruments: Violin by Salah Memarzadeh, Tar by Ali Alaei and Tombak by Akam Pourkhezri enables their pieces to be highly diverse in emotions which would travel from smooth spiritual atmospheres of Persian classical music to the most rhythmic and energetic ones.
A vivid dialogue between the body and the instruments is a unique and unconventional way for Tannava's practitioners to create their pieces. Use of dance as a source of music creation enables the band to challenge the boundaries of Iranian classical music.
Apart from their concert performance repertoire, currently they are working on a new production called “My Land” which bounces between theatre and dance performance. For more information check…
Our Team
Salah Memarzadeh
Salah Memarzadeh is a psychologist and musician from Iran. He has combined psychology studies with music, with the violin and Setar as main instruments. Among other things, he has received training from the well-known Iranian violinist Arsalan Kamkar, and Set Masters Masoud Shoari and Hossein Alizadeh. Since 1991, Salah has been involved in founding and leading many ensembles in both Iran and Norway, including Iranian women's ensembles. He has composed and arranged many pieces in both Kurdish and classical Iranian music, and toured with well-known ensembles in Iran, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Germany. Salah has lived for several years in Oppland and has, among other things, played with the Gjøvik Symphony Orchestra.
Ali Aalaei
Ali Aalaei is a pharmacist and musician from Iran. He has had a great passion for Persian traditional music since childhood, and plays the instrument Tar as his main instrument. He has received training from the well-known Iranian players Sahba Motallebi and Fariborz Azizi. In addition, Aalaei plays traditional Persian instruments Setar and Tombak. He has composed several pieces of music for various events / occasions, and has taught Tar, Setar and Tombak to students of different age groups. Aalaei has played both solo and in various music groups in concerts and events, in Norway and abroad. He is heavily involved in cultural promotion activities..
Akam Pourkhezri
Akam Pourkhezri is a system developer and musician who works as a software engineer at Avanade As. He has a bachelor's degree in information technology from OsloMet (HIOA) and is in his second year in the master's program in programming and networking at UiO. He has combined his Engineering education with music especially in playing Tonbak which is his main instrument. He received training from Abdulla Sigarchi and Kaveh Mahmudiyan. Akam has been to various festivals, TV programs and concerts both in Norway and abroad.
Hediyeh Azma
Hediyeh is an Iranian choreographer and dancer, whose major dance style is Iranian so-called classical dance. She is engaged with this movement system for over 23 years. Having done contemporary dance style, her choreographies are mainly bouncing between Iranian dance and contemporary. In 2012 and 2013, Hediyeh has received awards respectively as ‘the best performer’ and ‘the best director’ from Iranian Festival called Point. In her MA thesis in dance anthropology she was focusing on the site-specific participatory performances. Currently, she lives in Norway as a freelance choreographer and works on her new site-specific project called ‘The One from Far’.