The Whirling Dervishes of Turkey with the Suleyman Erguner Ensemble
The Whirling Dervishes of Turkey perform the Sema, one of the world's most exquisite ceremonies, a meditation in motion and a radiant quest for divine illumination, developed by the 13th century Sufi mystic and poet Rumi.
It possesses a highly structured form in which the dervishes gentle turns become increasingly dynamic as they strive to achieve a state of trance in their spiritual journey to commune with the Divine.
"The dervishes turn timelessly and effortlessly. They whirl, turning round on their own axis and moving also in orbit. The right hand is turned up towards heaven to receive God's overflowing mercy which passes through the heart and is transmitted to earth with the down turned left hand. While one foot remains firmly on the ground, the other crosses it and propels the dancer round. The rising and falling of the right foot is kept constant by the inner rhythmic repetition of the name of "Allah-Al-lah, Al-lah..." The ceremony can be seen as a great crescendo in three stages: knowing God, seeing God and uniting with God."- www.rumi.org.uk
The Suleyman Erguner Ensemble consists of virtuoso instrumentalists on the ney (reed flute), kanun (zither), kemenche (Turkish fiddle), saz (Turkish lute) and tanbur (frame drum) and mesmerizing vocalists singing Rumi's poetry and religious texts and mystical dedications.
For future events, call Box office 020 7960 4242 www.rfh.org.uk
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