Their foot movements were controlled and unimportant. It was the upper part of their bodies which moved. The tempo of the dance increased until the dancers feet flew over the mat so lightly that the soft thudding of their feet was scarcely even heard. Urged on by the dance and the music, the audience began to shout to the girls, who suddenly stood on their heads, turned somersaults, and made snake-like movements. The audience was delighted.
Persian women begin to learn to dance when they are small girls.
They are taught by family members, or learn to imitate their elders, to provide entertainment for the family. In the 1950's and 60's, Persian classical dance began a revival, which removed it from a context of prostitution and low-class nightclubs. This trend continued until the 1979 revolution, when all such activity was discontinued. Thus each dancer creates her own style and improvises within a recognizably Persian framework of movements. An innovative dancer is able to extend the vocabulary of movements in many directions, while retaining the essential Persian feeling.