August 13th, Iowa Dialog Center presents “The Whirling Dervishes of Rumi”
Saturday, August 08, 2009 By Maryam
The Iowa Dialog Center presents the Whirling Dervishes of Rumi, a universal peace dance and music event that will take place on August 13, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. in the Sheslow Auditorium at Drake University.
Sufi celebration of Tariqa Alawiya centennial spotlights tolerance, peace.
Friday, August 07, 2009 By Maryam
Around 6,000 people flocked to the Algerian city of Mostaganem this July for the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Tariqa Alawiya, whose Sufi followers prize tolerance, unity, peace and ecology.
Famous dancers engaged in religious ritual.
Friday, August 07, 2009 By Maryam
By John Pitcher
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
Legend has it that the 13th-century Persian poet Rumi chanced by a goldsmith shop one day and began whirling to the rhythm of the hammers. The order of the Whirling Dervishes was born.
Next week, some of the great Islamic poet’s spiritual descendants — the Whirling Dervishes of Rumi — will appear at the Rose Theater. The group, sponsored by the Niagara Foundation of Nebraska, will perform in several Midwest cities. The tour will culminate with an appearance at the Turkish World Festival in Chicago later in the month.
The dervishes, with their long, twirling, umbrella-shaped skirts, are among the most famous dancers in history.
Yet their famed movements are not theatrical performances. They are part of an elaborate religious ritual. Applause, therefore, is discouraged at the end of a Whirling Dervish performance.
