| Whirling Dervishes |
World Music
"A Spectacle . . .it has an austere beauty, from the geometric figures of the dancers to the music's chain of melodies" -- Jon Pareles, New York Times
The Whirling Dervishes of Konya, Turkey, perform the Sema, one of the world's most exquisite spiritual ceremonies. Rarely seen in the western world, this ancient Sufi order has kept the tradition of whirling to ecstasy alive for over 700 years. The ceremony is a precise choreography, a meditation in motion and a radiant quest for divine illumination. It possesses a highly structured form within which the dancers' gentle turns become increasingly dynamic as the individual dervishes strive to achieve a state of trance. Each gesture, each piece of garment, each whirling movement symbolizes the ceremony's supreme tale of death and resurrection. The chanting of poetry, rhythmic rotations and incessant music are spellbinding.
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