Hannah Darabi

Hannah Darabi's Why Don't You Dance? is set against a backdrop of turbulent events, an uncertain future, censorship and self-censorship. Amid this unstable environment replete with recurring uprisings and escalating conflict, Darabi serves as an investigator: she gathers, interprets and arranges photographs, archival materials, spoken testimony and popular music, building a critical narrative at the intersection of art and research. The book is structured by three juxtaposed figures – Mahvash, Jamileh and Mohammad Khordadian – and interspersed with portraits from Cabaret Tehran that evoke the emotional bond connecting the Iranian capital and Los Angeles. Darabi reveals how dance takes on different meanings across time and place, serving by turns as entertainment, an expression of identity and an act of civil disobedience. Iran's 'Woman, Life, Freedom' movement has prompted women to speak out and express themselves through their bodies in new ways – adopting joy as a political strategy. Dance connects the diaspora, bringing together perspectives from within and from exile. Darabi's images convey a view of Iran from the outside, showing how the legacy of the past is carried into the present.

Through the Prix Elysée, Photo Elysée champions this form of photography: one that engages with the present seriously and with purpose, and that treats the book as a powerful political tool in its own right. Why Don't You Dance? is a compelling demonstration of this approach in action, telling a story about the world as it is today.

Nathalie Herschdorfer
Director of Photo Elysée, Lausanne

This book is published in the context of the Prix Elysée, which is the result of an exclusive partnership between Photo Elysée and Parmigiani Fleurier. One of the most prestigious awards in photography, the prize provides the winner with financial support to produce a new photographic project and accompanying book.