Shahrzad Dance Academy’s mission is to preserve, teach and creatively explore the art of Classical and Contemporary Persian (Iranian) dance, an entirely unique artistic aesthetic founded upon an ancient culture. The means of providing such education includes presenting interactive lecture-demonstrations in Persian dance for all ages, participating in public dance performances, and providing workshops for adult professional and amateur dancers , and assemblies for youth in schools. Through this mission, SDA endeavors to represent Iranian-Americans (a highly under- and misrepresented group), by presenting positive, relevant images of their artistic/cultural heritage, and provide a forum in which Iranian and non-Iranians can relate to each other and develop positive relationships, thus bridging cultural gaps in the community. Beyond this, SDA endeavors to create works that transcend cultural traditions and connect people through universal themes that foster compassion.