We are just one day away from the
global day of dance for freedom.
It's taking place tomorrow
as a way for the world to show support
for those who want to be able to do
simple things like dancing in public.
You may remember we first reported
about a couple who got arrested in Iran,
sentenced to more than 10 years in
prison for sharing video of themselves.
This video right here.
This was posted on social media
and they've been dancing in public
and that got them in trouble.
They were dancing, of all places,
at a place called Azadi Square,
which actually translates to Freedom Square.
So here to talk with us about
the importance of this day,
of dancing for freedom,
why we should all care about
what's been happening in Iran.
We have Ari joining us.
Thank you so much for being here.
Thank you so much. Yeah,
I've been following you a lot on Instagram.
I know you're now a dance harvist.
I wanted to encourage people
to be able to dance.
So that we can all really appreciate
things that we take for granted here.
I mean, dancing in public, we can do, right?
We can do.
So first of all,
let's talk about your connections to Iran.
And what it's been like for you the
past several months has been we've
been watching these protests unfold.
Yeah. So I was six when women of Iran lost
their right to sing and dance in public.
And when you take away something so healthy,
you also wage a war on joy.
You wage a war.
And people's coping mechanisms.
And because our ancestors have
evolved to dance and sing as
a way of building community,
reducing stress, dealing with trauma,
all these things have been taken away.
So you know the saying goes,
dance like nobody's watching.
And in Iran,
there's always somebody watching.
And you know,
the wisdom behind us like nobody's watching
is that let your creativity and unbridled.
Sense of expression just go without being
hampered by other people's judgment.
But in Iran,
because somebody is always watching
the that their judgment could
mean that you would lose freedom,
your freedom, or worse, just as a couple.
I feel like for a lot of people
here in America to think, wow,
it's illegal to dance in public.
What? It's shocking to hear that
people can get arrested for doing it.
You knew Iran before when it was a
freer place where you can do that.
And then it changed.
Tell us a little bit about what
changed for you and what even
brought you here to the US yeah,
it was pretty awful
to go from being able to play with
your best friend who's a boy out on
the streets to losing your freedom,
your your rights being literally cut in half.
So you couldn't do that with you,
couldn't be outside, you
couldn't, you couldn't even even as a 6 year
old. So I cut my hair and pretended
to be a boy for a while. And.
And then when that didn't work,
when when people found out that I was a girl,
I would just go out and write anti
regime graffiti on the walls,
which is something what teenagers do.
And so my parents were like this is going
to be really difficult to keep her here.
So that's how I moved to the US
when you moved to the US,
I do want to Fast forward a little
bit to recently you created this
video asking kids how they would
feel if dancing was illegal.
So I wanted to play a clip
of that for our viewers.
Let's listen to that now.
I would not like it a lot.
It make me feel sad. They're sad.
Mad. I did for her, I did.
Dance for freedom.
Singers like breathing.
I hope no one tells me I
can't dance because I love it.
I mean, so many of us feel this way.
Kids love it.
We love it as adults.
What did you learn putting
this video together?
What do you hope it gets across?
Well, I hope that people tap into the healing
power of dance because it's sustainable.
You know, it's it's meant to help us
thrive and be resilient and use that as
a way of an act of resistance against a
tyrannical forces in our own lives against
the judgment of people body shaming
us or or judging the way we move and.
Also garner support for the
couple who was imprisoned.
Let's hope that let's get the word
out so we can get them to be free and
also the other protesters and and and
continue this on until Iran is free and
are you were mentioning during the
commercial break when you moved here.
I mean you have to leave
your home your family.
How did dance play a role and you kind
of getting used to this whole new world.
Yeah I danced a lot.
And I didn't know it,
but it was helping me with my anxiety,
with a terrible homesickness and
the depression that I was feeling.
So now I bring the same thing to
other refugees and create a we,
we dance together
once a week. That's beautiful.
Dancing together with refugees.
That's here in San Diego.
I do that in Tijuana,
where there are a lot of refugees.
But I do have it in San Diego to
with people from all over the world,
the Ukrainians. Patients,
people from South Central America. Yeah.
And for kids to get to experience that too.
And they've grew up in places
where it's not allowed.
So tomorrow's a big day,
the global day of dance for freedom.
Alright. What do you hope people do
and kind of learn by doing this?
I mean, we want to see everyone's videos.
We've been asking them to share it.
What do you hope this kind of gets across?
I hope it shines a light
on Iran and the horrible,
oppressive regime that is.
Just being so brutal to people who
are just exercising their right,
their their birthright, to free expression,
to say what they want to say,
to move their bodies.
So let our bodies move for those
who are not allowed to dance,
just as we use our voices to
amplify their cries for freedom.
And then just let that go on.
Let your video inspire other
people to join this movement
throughout the year. And
last question before. We go here, Ari.
Why should people here in San
Diego care about what's happening?
You know, obviously many miles away in Iran.
Why is it important for all of us?
The human rights effort,
the free Iran movement,
there is an interconnectedness to all of us.
This all social justice causes all.
We are all parts of each other.
As the Saudi poem says,
children of Adam are all limbs of 1 body.
So this is something that
everyone should care about.
And people do.
We have dancers in Africa and
artica all over the world.
7 continents are joining
because they understand this
amazing. And for more videos by
Ari Rumi with a view on Instagram.
You do a great job sharing this
important message with your videos,
with the way you speak so beautifully.
Thank you for being with
us this morning so much.
So great to see you in person.
I've been following you for so long.
So the same.