TARA GHASSEMIEH

Tara Ghassemieh | Persian Swan™ is the first Iranian-American principal ballerina, an internationally recognized choreographer, director, filmmaker, educator, and arts entrepreneur. She is the Founder, Artistic Director, and Executive Director of INTUITV ARTSHIP, a disobedient ballet company creating narrative-driven works at the intersection of classical ballet, film, culture, and social impact.

Ghassemieh began her professional training at the American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School in New York City at age sixteen. As a principal ballerina, she has performed leading roles in classical and contemporary works including Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, Firebird, and George Balanchine’s Valse-Fantaisie. Her screen credits include Florence + the Machine’s “Spectrum,” directed by David LaChapelle, as well as collaborations with award-winning British composer Oliver Davis.

Her work as a choreographer and director is distinguished by deeply personal storytelling and an ongoing exploration of identity, freedom, and her Iranian heritage. Together with her longtime artistic partner Vitor Luiz, Ghassemieh co-choreographed Scheherazade, a pas de deux inspired by Persian storytelling and the struggle for artistic freedom.

As Founder and Artistic Director of INTUITV ARTSHIP, Ghassemieh conceived and co-choreographed The White Feather: A Persian Ballet Tale, an original full-length ballet integrating dance, spoken word, projection, and Persian cultural history. The production received national attention, including coverage in The New York Times, and toured to sold-out audiences across the United States, with performances in Southern California, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and New York City. The White Feather was subsequently named a 2024 Pointe Magazine Readers’ Choice Standout Performance.

In 2025, Ghassemieh premiered Tchaikovsky: A Love Letter at the Musco Center for the Arts, a full-length narrative ballet exploring the life, music, and hidden love of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Conceived by Ghassemieh and co-choreographed with Luiz, the work continues INTUITV ARTSHIP’s mission to use classical ballet as a vehicle for untold stories and contemporary cultural dialogue.

Beyond the stage, Ghassemieh is a filmmaker and producer whose work expands her artistic mission through cinema. Her directorial work includes the short film Persian Swan. She is currently developing the feature documentary The Spirit Bird, chronicling the legacy of the Iranian National Ballet, the artists who continue to dance underground in Iran, and her lifelong mission to help restore ballet to a free Iran.

A nationally respected master teacher, mentor, and educator, Ghassemieh has taught dancers across the United States and served as a jury member for dance competitions and conventions in more than 30 states. Her mentorship extends across borders: through secure, encrypted virtual classes, she teaches and mentors underground dancers in Iran who continue to pursue their art despite restrictions on dance and public performance.

At the center of Ghassemieh’s work is the belief that dance is an expression of freedom and a human birthright. Her life’s mission is to bring ballet back to Iran and ensure that the next generation of Iranian artists is given the same opportunity she was: the freedom to train, perform, pursue their artistry, and build a life through dance. Through her work on stage, on film, and through INTUITV ARTSHIP, she is working toward a future in which they will no longer have to dance in secret—they will be free.

Acting and entrepreneurship—

“Little Tara” was a vibrant child who at the age of six started chasing the dream of becoming a ballerina and actor. She became an incredibly versed young performing artist and at age sixteen she received for three consecutive years the National Training Scholar award, before receiving a full scholarship to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School American Ballet Theatre (SABT) in New York, NY. Later in life while working in New York and Los Angeles, Ms. Ghassemieh worked on several off-Broadway productions either as an actor or dancer.

Ms. Ghassemieh started her first company, a dancewear line named 'Tata's Dancewear' from 2004-2012. As a ballet practitioner herself, she knew what dancers her age were looking for. ‘Tata’s Dancewear’ band was featured at major stores and online selling products. Ms. Ghassemieh design’s became popular brand in dance for its creativity, aesthetics and comfort.

In Review—

“The best part of the show was undoubtedly the performance of Tara Ghassemieh. She moves with poise and power, and her movement quality is beautifully unique. Though linear as opposed to rounded like traditional ballerinas, she is not rigid, and her purposeful directionality is something I could watch for an entirety of an evening-length work.”

-Broadway World, review of her ballet

“The White Feather” a Persian ballet tale

“The choreography is grand and certainly suits the subject material. There is great passion and drama in every movement and one of the characters by his side throughout is his Muse, who represents his music speaking to him and through him all along. This character is performed by Tara Ghassemieh, a Persian-American artist and accomplished ballet dancer. She is very strong on pointe and has substantial technical chops. Her portrayal was lovely.”

-LA Dance Chronicle, review of her ballet

Tchaikovsky: A Love Letter