Frammenti di Mevlana

Seeking the divine within ourselves through whirling is a practice that dates back to ancient times. Traces of this practice can still be found today in the oldest rituals of tribes in Africa and the Far East. Some studies reveal that even in ancient Greece, rituals for divination were practiced using this type of dance, with similar traces found in ancient Persia. Jellaledin Rûmî (1207-1273), also known as Mevlana (Master), turned this practice into the prayer that would distinguish his Mystical School, hence the name of the Mevlevi Whirling Dervishes.

The "Dervishes Sari Gül", accompanied by the Mirabilis Ensemble orchestra, are a group of men on a quest for the divine within themselves. Through their performance, they aim to emphasize the importance, now more than ever, of fundamental ideas of tolerance and peace among peoples. The show consists of multiple parts, including music and readings of Rumi's poetry, while the dancers whirl. The proposed event narrates the possible spiritual journey that every individual seeking reunion with the Divine can undertake. The Semazen, those who perform the Sema dance, after circling the ritual space three times, greet each other. Their white garments, symbolizing purity, open up like blossoms, and the central part forms spirals, converging at the fixed axis of the heart where major transformations occur and new awareness is produced, around which the Semazen rotates.

At the end of their mystical journey, the dancers collect their black cloaks and, kneeling, remain in "listening" for a few more minutes (this is the meaning of the word "Sema"). Zikr is the prayer of repeating the Holy Names, one of the oldest practices encountered in human spiritual search. In Christianity, it is the prayer of the Hesychasts, in Hinduism, the chanting of mantras. It encompasses ancient secrets transmitted directly from Master to disciple. Linked to a particular breathing technique, it aims to alter the body's chemistry in the practitioner by oxygenating brain areas that do not usually receive such stimulation. In this way, the student is gradually led by the Zikr guide to encounter higher states of consciousness born from a new and more precise alignment of their centers, finally departing silently from the ritual space after again honoring the Red Carpet, symbolizing the Master, with a bow.

CATEGORIES

• Theatre