Dance like a man

Today I went to see the whirling dervishes from Turkey perform at the Global Peace Auditorium. The flaming Spanish flamenco earlier this week, was followed by a traditional Kuchipudi performance by the Raja and Radha Reddy's Natya Tarangini troupe yesterday. The 1 hour show presented one piece "Mahanatam". The young dancers ably supported their gurus in their spectacular choreography with focus on excellence. Perhaps the only disappointment was the lack of a live orchestra.

The Sema, the whirling dervish dance was performed by a troupe with four dancers and four musicians. Wielding unusual instruments such as the ney, oud, kanun and kudum, the program began with the flute-like instrument instantly transporting us into another world. When the dervishes appeared on stage, wrapped in dark shrouds, the atmosphere became almost ethereal. In tune with the music, they gently unfolded their crossed arms to reach out with their right hand open towards the sky while the other hand faced the earth, bringing blessings from the divine into this world. The dancers spin around gently and continuously, never missing a step or losing a beat. Their heads are titled, eyes closed as they commune with the spiritual world right there on stage. The gracefully billowing white skirt, the outstretched arms and beatific expressions on their faces could only give us a glimpse of the bliss that the dancers experience.

What was striking about today's performance was that this was not something purely entertaining. This was one performance which made me wish to try twirling like them, just to get an insight into their mystic communion. It reminded me of the times I have attended aartis at ISKCON temples worldwide. In every temple I have seen a few fervent followers slip into an unending blissful chant of "Hare Krishna", making all others feel totally excluded from their personal connection with Krishna. The dervishes, followers of Mevlana Rumi, appeared to be the lucky ones, knowing the direct path of spirituality, attained through their dance. I felt fortunate to just watch them. Right here where I live.