Searching for Leila The Kurdish Princess Of Dance

in the depths of darkness stands a young vvoman, her slender body sparkling in soft silk of pearly hue. Her hair is dark, the color of the night sky. Fear floats dovvn her spine. Her long legs are trembling. İn her Kurdish dance Dîlan, Le'ı'la carries to the stage the fire in the hearts of young men and vvomen dancing at the Nevvroz festivities whose origins go back to the ancient vvorship of the sacred fire. She feels the blood of her forebears coursing through her veins. Le'ı'la: The journey of a name handed dovvn through the times. The infusion of the Oriental into the West; the marriage of Eastern passion and VVestem individuality in dance. A marking of moments of Le'ı'la Bederkhan, a Kurdish princess who crossed continents and cultures, who defied convention and succeeded in her quest to become a famous dancer. A vvoman of firsts: the first Royal to have danced before the Sphinx in modern times, the first Kurdish vvoman to dance in Europe and America. A vvoman vvhose name and life inspired generations to come.