Men and women dance together in Iran after years of crackdowns

A video from the event is going viral, prompting viewers to ask: Can one public performance shift the boundaries of what’s acceptable in Iran?

Many netizens were struck by the bravery of the revellers, who risked severe punishment for their defiance. The crowd in the video are going against rules that have been in place in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and have been enforced particularly harshly in recent years. Women in the crowd don’t appear to be wearing hijabs, in violation of strict laws mandating women wear ‘proper headwear’ which were tightened in 2024. 

In 2022, Iran’s ‘morality police, known as the Guidance Patrol, allegedly beat Kurdish-Iranian Mahsa Amini to death after they arrested her for ‘improper wearing of a hijab’. After Amini’s death sparked a wave of protests across Iran and the world, the government only tightened its regulation of women’s clothing. Recently, Iranian authorities have shut down the Instagram accounts of female singers after they shared videos of themselves performing without a hijab, according to independent news outlet Iran International.

The performers in the video are also risking punishment. Western music was censored in Iran after the Revolution. In the early days of Ayatollah Khomeini’s rule, anyone caught with music deemed ‘un-Islamic’ risked being fined, lashed or imprisoned. Now, private listening is generally tolerated, but artists performing in public require an official permit and must ensure their audience sticks to gender segregation and the appropriate attire.

Users online fear for the musicians and dancers’ safety. Unconfirmed rumours are circulating online that some have already been arrested. It is only three years since the Mahsa Amini protests, during which Human Rights Watch says security forces killed more than 500 people.

Others feel more hopeful. “Since the Mahsa Jina Amini protests, the regime has struggled to fully reimpose strict hijab rules or curb public displays like this”, says journalist Afshin Ismaeli. He also says recent attacks by Israel are making Iran’s government more wary of public unrest.

The video has been shared across the internet, including by White Stripes lead singer Jack White. Commenters have celebrated the refreshing portrayal of ‘the real Tehran’, which contradicts depictions of Iran from the Global North and the country’s own government.