The Study of Origins of Paradoxical Collaboration in Processional Performances Case Study: Ghalishooyan-e Mashhad-e Ardehal-e Kashan

Ghalishooyan, as a well-known genre in Iranian processional performances is basically the expression of a specific situation between audience and performer which, as a part of ritual processes, can be seen in many processional performances. In this very prominent example of processional performance, the mutual relationship of performer and audience is based on collaborative mood which in turn is one the three basic moods in any performance practice. The general condition in this theatrical genre depends on dynamic and flowing collaboration of performer and audience.
Yet, in this case study we encounter a paradoxical aspect in performer-audience collaboration. In Ghalishooyan, the circle of collaboration has become very tight and definite, limited only to those who are allowed to directly attend the process of performance. In this paradoxical situation, the collaborative mood is limited in a manner that another phenomenal mood of performance, namely self-expressive mood, becomes more pronounced. This article would argue for the exclusive grounds of this paradoxical situation only to investigate furthermore the cultural and social issues, like historical and gender subject-matters, next to the effective elements of this performance like collective self-expression and tribal heredity.