The image is based on a 1970’s portrait of Jamileh the top Iranian traditional and belly dancer from pre-revolutionary era. Jamileh (born Fatemeh Sadeghi) was raised by her father who worked in theatre, and by the age of six, she was joining him on stage. She was first married aged 14, had her first daughter as a teenager and not long afterwards divorced. She then married the cabaret owner Mohammed Arbâb who died in 1973, and that meant that by her twenties she was widower with two children to care for. Like other Iranian entertainers of the time, Jamileh’s talent for dance provided her the opportunity to perform onscreen. She played dance-related roles in more than 25 films and was reportedly the highest-paid cabaret actor of Iranian origin in 1974. As a single mother she ran a busy cabaret, performed on its stage, and looked after her girls. She sent her daughters to be educated in America in mid 1970’s.
Jamileh’s performances and film roles popularised various folk dances in Iran: she was especially renowned for belly dance and Bandari as well as classical Persian dance. She was also the first Iranian woman to become an international dancer. She performed for prominent foreign guests including Henry Kissinger and Aristotle Onassis. She said she had to hide from Onassis who would turn up every night demanding her to dance for him.
In 1977, Jamileh left for the US, and after the revolution was unable to return. She continued dancing in Los Angeles well into her fifties. She remains in exile in LA.