Last night I went to the concert of Turkish Sufi Music. This included the Whirling Dervishes. Their dance is one of the most enduring and exquisite ceremonies of spirituality. The repetitious music is a chant and prayerlike. The dance is not frenzied, but rhythmic and methodical. It is a drama of faith.
Each man stands on one foot and uses the other foot to push himself around. The "skirts" look weighted at the hem, and their orbit must help each man feel where the next dancer is, because they each stayed within their own space, with their eyes closed.
Sufism, which combines mysticism and a way of life, cannot be separated from poetry and music. What could be more appropriate to help us along this mysterious voyage than the pure sound of the Ney? Hope you can hear the Oboe-like instrument in the video.
1 comment:
What a cool performance! I remember Gramma describing her grandsons as whirling dervishes! I don't think she was referring to their spirituality!
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