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Though an accomplished martial artist, Zahed Aryadarei might soon find himself persuaded to deliver lines instead of blows.
The versatile figure will join wife Shannon Aryadarei and their three children as participants in “This Town Is a Mystery,” an element of the 16th annual Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and the newest piece from Headlong Dance Theater, 1170 S. Broad St., Sept. 7 to 22. The Aryadareis will execute their eight-performance run within their Newbold home and will examine diversity, family cohesion and the patriarch’s brushes with persecution.
“At first, I was anxious about telling my story,” Zahed Aryadarei, a native of Tehran, Iran, who arrived in the United States two decades ago, said Friday from his abode on the 2200 block of South Chadwick Street. “However, I decided to let myself loose because I believe in the mission of the project and knew my children would have a great opportunity to show their talents.”
Shannon Aryadarei, whom he wed in 2000 two years after their initial meeting through his sister, learned of the 19-year-old theater through a Review article (“Diving Headlong,” Feb. 2) that expressed Headlong’s desire to explore the rampant lack of knowledge of one’s neighbors plaguing the City of Brotherly Love.
“My motivation was trying to help the theater to find out what goes on in homes as a way to help citizens appreciate one another more,” the mother said after she and her relatives had completed their final rehearsal. “I also wanted to give my children something for the summer other than sports or camp.”
The Aryadareis and more than 40 other households submitted applications, with good news coming for the locals and three more entrants in the spring. Headlong tabbed the winners “citizen dancers” to reflect their amateur identity and commenced rehearsals in May.
“I began by asking ‘Who lives here?’ and wondered how I could dissolve perceptions we might have about others,” co-director Andrew Simonet, who helped to devise the project two years ago, said.
The former Bella Vista resident and his colleagues sought an intimate investigation of city life, so placing action within residences struck them as a poignant move. In the Aryadareis, he encountered “an honest and real family” worthy of an audience’s attention. Their selection meant the parents would receive even more occasions to display their affection for Sulaimon, 11; Sydney, 9; and Shaheen, 6, and would allow the youngsters to incorporate their frivolity and maturity, the latter resulting from their karate expertise, into their time as thespians. Headlong personalities gained enough information to devise a script that acknowledges the past and anticipates the future.
“It was important to address what goes on between families — the separation, the love, the loss, everything,” Zahed Aryadarei said.
“A show like this encourages people to go meet someone they might never have known about,” Simonet added. “It’s about taking risks.”
The 30-minute piece begins with Zahed Aryadarei and his mate standing behind their kneeling offspring, who give the brood’s background through the use of binders. Once they depart, the patriarch offers a formative incident from his youth to accentuate how early in life someone can realize the sting of abuse and the severity of love, recalls his interaction with the United Kingdom’s National Front during a London dispute with proponents of ethnic nationalism and details the third and final hurdle on his way to tranquility. As he had a legal matter from 1996 over his head, the then-U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service detained Zahed Aryadarei following the 9/11 attacks, sending him to York, Pa., and considering his deportation.
“It was a terrible period,” he said post-practice of facing a forced fissure in his family structure.
Shannon Aryadarei explains the pain by reading a letter she composed for him through which she preaches hope and resolve.
“All I wanted upon news of my release was to return home and hold my children,” her spouse said during the run-through.
Throughout the performance, the children display their talents, with Sydney, a student at Girard Academic Music Program, 2136 Ritner St., making use of her singing and dancing skills before using her blue-belt knowledge to team up with Sulaimon, also a GAMP attendee, and Shaheen, a pupil at Abraham S. Jenks Academics Plus, 2501 S. 13th St., for a karate routine.
“I enjoy this opportunity,” Sulaimon, who has earned black-belt distinction, said of incorporating his moves into the examination of self-belief and compassion. “I feel really close to my family, especially my brother and sister, because of it.”
In addition to enhancing the siblings’ bond, the project also allows Zahed Aryadarei to strengthen his union with his partner, who is of Irish ancestry, through the letter scene and a slow dance.
“Our involvement has been so romantic,” Shannon Aryadarei said of the last four months of appreciating their reliance on each other. “We’ve moved from being nervous to being excited and proud.”
Though none of the family members had acted before the assignment, all has seemed natural, Shannon Aryadarei said.
“The feelings are actual and help to build our strength,” the matriarch said.
Interacting with her kin within their home, a place of relative calm, also has proven instructional, as it has enabled them to show their talents, including her penchant for being metaphorical glue.
“I’ve been able to continue my favorite role of keeping everyone mindful of being loving, forgiving and strong,” she said.
Ticket purchasers will witness not only her adoration for her family but also her love of communication. Attendees — 10 per show — are to prepare food so they can share an 80-minute dinner with the Aryadareis. Friday’s practice offered a taste of what the fraternization might yield, as Simonet and crew members bonded with their hosts over pizza.
“I’m thrilled this is happening,” Zahed Aryadarei, whose own achievements include winning March’s Tang Soo Do Region 8 Championship in Elverson, Pa., said of his children’s roles. “It’s helping my kids to appreciate family and opportunity.”
“Aside from our performance, the project really taps into understanding what people are going through,” his wife added. “… Every time we perform, I feel so fortunate. The scenes give me chills.”
For tickets, call 215-413-1318 or visit livearts-fringe.org.
Contact Staff Writer Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124.
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