I'm not Persian . . . I'm a Kurd. My grandfather was the crown prince of Kurdistan, which is on the frontier between Persia, Turkey and Syria. But since the Turkish conquest, the independent princes in our family have become spread over a wide area. I was born in Turkey, in Constantinople. When I was very young, I left for Egypt with my mother and spent my childhood there. When, after the tragic death of my father, the Emir, I fled from my revolt-stricken country, dancing became my very reason for living, my life's aim. I only came to Europe after the war, to study in Switzerland. I've always loved dancing. I don't learn my dances. I dance instinctively using very stylized popular themes. I settled in Paris where, after two recitals, I decided to spend a year researching the religious rites of ancient Persia, Egyptian Mazdeism [Zoroastrism], Indian, and Oriental sacred dances. Leila Bedirkhan Kurdish dancer, living in Paris in the 1930s Paris Midi, December 16, 1932 Comedia, December 9, 1930 From the book, Kurdistan, In the Shadow of History.