Delshodeh Dance Ensemble

Delshodeh Dance Ensemble is the newest creative endeavor of artistic directors, Sonja Hinz and Heather Rastovac. These Seattle-area dancers are known throughout the Pacific Northwest for their exquisite Persian and Tajik dance performances, and have worked with the Persian music and dance ensemble, Shourangeez, the Middle Eastern music and dance ensemble, Banat Sahar, and the Moroccan musical group, The Salaam Band.After studying and performing various dances of the Near East for over a decade, Heather and Sonja have created a performance group dedicated exclusively to the dance and music of Iran and Central Asia. This includes the countries of Iran, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan, amongst others.Both dancers, as well as Sonja’s husband, Andy Rick, lived and studied in Tajikistan in 2006 and 2007, and these three performers share their experience with Central Asian music and dance with the other members of Delshodeh.