|
Artists 2001 The Whirling Dervishes of Damascus with Sheikh Hamza Shakkur and Ensemble Al Kindi Syria The Whirling Dervishes of Damascus perform a ritual developed by the Sufis during the 13th century. Through the twirling movement the Dervishes put themselves in a state of trance. Their loose-fitting, white robes emphasize the holiness and the perfection of the ritual, where one hand is held up towards the heavens and one is lowered towards the ground. Dervish is the name of a member in a Sufi brotherhood. They live pious lives and are firmly controlled by the order. The head of the order, the Sheikh, is part of a spiritual chain of tradition that sometimes has the prophet Mohammed as the first link. But Sufism is also stands for an everyday kind of piety - common all over the Muslim world. In the center of Sufism stands the trust to the loving god - something that is very far from the fundamentalism we sometimes associate with Islam. You could become totally absorbed by all this and get totally carried away by the mystic, but that will hardly be necessary. Because this is music and dancing that speaks directly to everyone that comes with an open mind and a shut down mobile phone. Whirling Dervishes of Damascus with Sheikh Hamza Shakkur come to Bjursås with Ensemble Al Kindi. Julien Jalal Eddine Weiss from France, who has completely dedicated his life to Arabian music after hearing the Arabian zither, the quanun, conducts the ensemble. He has become a master on the instrument and he has also converted to Islam. He has gathered the masters of the ud (oriental lute), the nay (reed flute) and the riqq (tambourine with small cymbals). In the centre of the Ensemble stands the great, charismatic Sheikh Hamza Shakkur, who usually conducts the choir in the great Ummayad Mosque in Damascus. His deep yet soft voice is one of the most prominent in Arab world | Tuesday, Dössberget Open-Air Museum 19.00 |
For additional information: |