N° 01
Sari Gelin
The Yellow Bride
A lament in motion. The story of a bride parted from her beloved, told through restrained gesture and the weight of silk.
The Company
A sixteen-year passion project — still gathering momentum.
Co-Directors Shalaleh Rismani & Asal Ahadi
Shalaleh began training in Azerbaijani folk dance at the age of eight, in Iran — where the art form had no public stage. At thirteen, she moved to Canada, and the dance came with her.
What started as one dancer teaching neighbours in Vancouver became a company in 2009. Two years later, Asal Ahadi joined the directorship. Together they grew Chichak from a passion project into a long-standing fixture of British Columbia's cultural dance scene — never quite full-time, always fully committed.
Today, Chichak operates as a resident member of The Dance Centre. The company performs, choreographs, and teaches — bridging traditional Azerbaijani folk with contemporary movement vocabulary and a deep, ongoing investigation of cultural memory through the body.
- 2009
Founded in Vancouver
Shalaleh Rismani formally founds the company after years teaching Azerbaijani folk dance to the Canadian diaspora.
- 2011
Co-Direction Begins
Asal Ahadi joins as co-director. The company expands its repertoire and educational programming.
- 2018
Turkic Festival
Headline performance at the Turkic Festival, North Vancouver Shipyards — tradition meets contemporary choreography.
- 2019
Silk Road Festival
Featured ensemble presenting Sari Gelin, Lezginka, and Drum/Saz Dance — movements from the Land of Fire.
- 2021
Daily Practice
The directors launch a public daily dance challenge — an ongoing experiment in discipline and cultural memory.
- Today
Dance Centre Resident
Long-standing member of The Dance Centre. Teaching, rehearsing, and collaborating with Zavieh Music Academy.
