Drawing bodies in motion

Description

I had the pleasure of drawing a very special dancer who explained the practice of Sufi. After our dancer explained her religious practice,I felt a great responsibility to create some paintings that represented the heart and feel of the dance. The dance is more of a way of reaching the divine, not just a performance for entertainment. My thanks to Sangeeta at Creative Performances for widening my world view.

Sufi dancer: @wonder_paola

‍Creative Performances: @creativeperformances

‍Place: @nycdrawingthedance and @dixonplace.

Sufi whirling (or Sufi turning) (Turkish: Semazen borrowed from Persian Sama-zan, Sama, meaning listening, from Arabic, and zan, meaning doer, from Persian) is a form of physically active meditation which originated among certain Sufi groups, and which is still practiced by the Sufi Dervishes of the Mevlevi order and other orders such as the Rifa'i-Marufi. It is a customary meditation practice performed within the sema, or worship ceremony, through which dervishes (also called semazens, from Persian سماعزن) aim to reach the source of all perfection, or karma. This is sought through abandoning one's nafs, ego or personal desires, by listening to the music, focusing on God, and spinning one's body in repetitive circles, which has been seen as a symbolic imitation of planets in the Solar System orbiting the sun. The Mevlevi practice gave rise to an Egyptian form, tanoura, distinguished by the use of a multicolored skirt. This has also developed into a performance dance by non-Sufis, including dancers outside the Islamic world.