Dancing during the pandemic: Despite restrictions, music and dance retain a central role in Iranian society

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, music and dance have become increasingly common in Iran’s hospitals and on its streets. Long disallowed in public after the Islamic revolution of 1979, they have become both a source of support for Iranians during difficult times and a way of resisting the regime. While the Islamic Republic has actively tried to discourage them over the past 40 years, music and dance have a long and unique history in Iran and have retained a central role in Iranian society. Unlike people in many neighboring Muslim countries, Iranians hold on strongly to their pre-Islamic roots and traditions.