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Rana Gorgani, ambassador of Sufi dance in the West, offers a unique experience: a sensory dive into the Sufi universe.
With this artistic creation, the whirling dervish presents different aspects of Sufism, where spirituality, symbolism and socio-cultural reality are intertwined.
Through her words and her body, she weaves links between the arts: poetry, miniatures, architecture, music and of course dance.
This event is not only a transmission of rarely shared Sufi knowledge but also a dance show.
The artist, trained in the anthropology of dance and ethnomusicology, transmits his knowledge of Sufism. Far from the academic and pedagogical aspect, this conference adapts to the public and is interactive.
In a conservatory, the content will focus on music, in a library, on poems and sacred texts…
A true mystical quest, Sufism is above all an inner search, a deep listening to one’s being, via meditation, music or trance states…
Dance, a path to understanding the universe, is introduced thanks to the poetry of Rûmî. This thirteenth-century Persian mystical poet puts Love at the heart of this quest.
“There are many paths that lead to God and I chose the one of music and dance.” – Rumi –
The links between Sufi dance and the natural cycles of the Earth, the stars, the cosmos, and the universe are exposed, while making connections with other Islamic arts such as calligraphy or miniatures.
“Do you know why the disciples of love, in the midst of their dances, raise and wave their arms? It is the door of divine fragrances that is opening at this moment before them, and, by this inspired gesture, they seem to repel the whole creation.” –S–
This introduction to Sufi dance has a strong bias: that of the feminine. In a world where whirling dervishes are mostly men, Rana Gorgani sheds new light with her peculiarity as a female whirling dervish. The major mystical symbols of Sufism are introduced. They are identical in architecture, miniatures, poetry or dance movements. In Sufi dance, each gesture carries a strong poetic symbolism. The sun, the candle, the rose or the perfume: these metaphorical and sacred elements each have a meaning that nourishes the steps of the dancers.
The different countries where Sufi dance is practiced today are presented. Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Afghanistan, Syria or Iraq: the particularities of the dance in each territory are retraced. The historical aspect is addressed by explaining in which context the dance developed or was repressed. Different periods are evoked, up to 2000 years before our era.
A time of questions and answers closes the show.
The danced interludes give flesh to the conference. The Sufi whirling, a real upward spiral, touches the viewer in his intimacy, a dialogue of heart to heart and soul to soul.
Music occupies a major place : resulting from much research, the soundtrack reveals the richness of Sufi music.
Optionally, a musician can also perform certain pieces live, making the discovery more lively.
“The strength of the body in motion no longer leaves room for the psyche.
It is a new encounter with oneself that operates.
The movement of the turner is the emancipation of the soul.
This whirling movement sweeps everything, the only thing left is the breath. “
– Rana Gorgani –
Photos, reproductions of paintings, soundtracks but also dance costumes: high quality backgrounds are unveiled.
The artist presents images from archives that will not be found elsewhere , whether Persian miniatures, unpublished Persian paintings, with some shots dating from the 1930s.
Some soundtracks are recordings made especially for this show and most of the music is difficult to access to the general public.
The texts and poems of Persian authors such as Rûmî, Hafez, Attar, Saadi or Shoravardi are shared, they have been at the heart of Rana Gorgani’s research work for more than 30 years.
“To a disciple saying to him:
I have travelled a great distance
to meet you,
The master answers:
It would have taken you only one step, if you had put yourself
on the way from your soul.”
– Shoravardi –
Through this event, the viewer understands that religion or meditation are not the only ways to enter spirituality. Poetry, writing, painting or dance are other possible paths.
The whirling dervish manifests that Sufi spirituality is not only intellectual, it is above all the search for beauty through experience. Sufism was then accessible to all, the antithesis of an elitist and closed dogma.
Rana Gorgani shares a universal message present in all cultures and traditions, a message of beauty, love and peace.
“O day, arise,
Atoms dance, souls lost
of ecstasy dance.
In my ear I’ll tell you where the dance leads.”
– Rumi –
THIS EVENT IS NOT
A presentation on religious art
A course in rhetoric
A historic conference
Academic interpretation
THIS EVENT IS
A new form of spectacle
A spotlight on Sufi dance
A musical and poetic discovery
A presentation of an art still unknown,
recognized as intangible cultural heritage
of UNESCO
THIS CONFERENCE HAS ALREADY BEEN PRESENTED
As part of the exhibition The Arts of Islam at the Louvre in Tourcoing
At the conservatory of Joigny-Le-Pont
Carré d’Argent, Théâtre de la Ville de Pont-Château
AME Media Library in Montargis
Festival Bleu Pluriel in Trégueux
Association Les Lettres Persanes in Paris
Rana Gorgani revolutionizes Sufi dance. While she is one of the few female whirling dervishes, she elevates Sufi dance to the rank of spiritual art. Born in 1984 in Germany to an Iranian mother and a Kurdish father, Rana Gorgani grew up in France, where she lives today. As a teenager, she joined a Sufi brotherhood. Since then, this spirituality has nourished his thought and art.
In 2009, Rana Gorgani founded the company “l’Œil Persan”, the first company to promote the traditional dances of the Persian world in Europe.
Prestigious collaborations are born: with the Guimet Museum, with the Arab World Institute, etc.
In 2014, she began a Master’s degree in Anthropology of Dance. She carries out her research work among one of the nomadic peoples of Iran. Even if they are not Sufis, they live daily life as this spirituality requires Rana Gorgani then realizes: everything belongs to everyone.
In 2016, with the end of her research, she decided to stop performing traditional dances, where she did not feel authentic, and devoted herself to Sufi dance.
In 2017, she accepted the invitation of Marie-Agnès Gillot, star of the Opera Ballet, to dance at a carte blanche event in Paris. It is a success and the beginning of many collaborations with great artists such as the duo Birds on a Wire, the choreographer Dimitri Chamblas, the group Haïdouti Orkestar, the choreographer Mehdi Kerkouche, the pianist Simon Ghraichy, etc. She dances at the Institut de France, the Institut du Monde Arabe, the Festival 1001 notes…
She shares her practice with as many people as possible by participating in the documentary Les chemins du sacré by Frédéric Lenoir for ARTE. She is regularly invited to dance and teach in many festivals in France and abroad: the Festival On danse chez vous at the Théâtre National de Chaillot, the Festival des Suds in Arles, the Balbek Festival in Lebanon, the Al-Burda Festival in Dubai…
Through her numerous artistic collaborations, through each of her performances and through her shared knowledge and know-how, this virtuoso is undoubtedly the greatest ambassador of Sufi spirituality in the West.
DURATION
between 60 minutes and 90 minutes.
ALL AUDIENCES
from 7 years old. 1 artist (can be accompanied by a musician).
MINIMUM STAGE SPACE
3m x 4m. The show is played in a frontal relationship with the audience. It adapts to any type of place where you can make enough darkness for video projections.
HARDWARE
1 desk, screen, video projector with sound system, 1 microphone-tie HF or wireless table provided by the reception structure
DÉCOR, ACCESSORIES
provided by the artist.
LIGHTS
provided by a régisseur.se of the venue hosting the danced conference. Allow enough distance between screen and play space to be able to illuminate the artist without making the images disappear from the slideshow.
VIDEO CONTROL
provided by the artist with remote control provided by the organizer. Slideshow on Keynote, mac + VGA cable provided by the company.
ASSEMBLY TIME
45 minutes
REHEARSAL TIME
If possible a service, the day before and / or 2 hours on the day of the show.
BOX
Provide quiet lodge space with mirror and correct lighting for makeup + water + dried fruits.
NOTE THAT
“Sufi dance” workshops for all audiences can precede or follow this conference.
Des facilités de paiement sont disponibles selon vos possibilités.