Practicing the Sufi dance, is to tune into life’s secret rhythm.
This dance acts in depth: it soothes the mind, releases emotions and develops the presence to oneself. Circular movement promotes the anchoring, balance, and vitality of the body while opening consciousness to a spiritual dimension.
Sama allows one to experience unity, that of the breath, the heart and the universe, and to enter into a state of silent harmony where everything becomes prayer.
The Sufi dance is not just choreography: it is a prayer in motion, a breath turned towards the invisible. Inherited from the mystical tradition of Sufism, this dance invites a deep union between body, mind and soul. Turning on oneself, the dancer sufi seeks to rise up, to strip oneself of oneself to taste the divine presence.
Each rotation then becomes an offering, an inner journey, a celebration of life.
The Sufi dance finds its source in the spiritual path of the Persian poet Jalâl ad-Dîn Rûmî (13th century), founder of the order of Turning Dervishes in Konya, Anatolia.
Inspired by his master Shams of Tabriz, Rûmî transformed mystical ecstasy into circular motion. The Sama, a Persian term meaning 'listening', was born from this dialogue between music, poetry and the Divine.
Over the centuries, this practice has been transmitted as a sacred ritual, a meditation living where the gesture becomes prayer.
Dancing soufi, is learning to turn around an invisible axis: that of the heart.
The feet anchor the earth, the body opens to the sky, the arms draw the circulation of energy, the right hand turned upwards, receiving grace, the left hand downwards, transmitting it to the world.
Practice requires discipline, breathing conscious and surrender. She unites the rigor of the gesture with the gentleness of the intention.
To turn is to be reborn at every moment, to the rhythm of breath and inner silence.
More and more spaces are now welcoming Sufi dance: spiritual centers, festivals, meditation retreats or specialized schools.
The International School of Sufi Dance founded by Rana Gorgani is one of the few structures to offer authentic teaching, transmitted with respect for tradition while being open to modernity.
Retreats, internships and trainings take place in France, Turkey, Morocco and other sacred places, to enable everyone to experience the Sama as a path of inner transformation.
Practicing the Sufi dance, is to tune into life’s secret rhythm.
This dance acts in depth: it soothes the mind, releases emotions and develops the presence to oneself. Circular movement promotes the anchoring, balance, and vitality of the body while opening consciousness to a spiritual dimension.
Sama allows one to experience unity, that of the breath, the heart and the universe, and to enter into a state of silent harmony where everything becomes prayer.
Created by the whirling dervish and choreographer Rana Gorgani, la method Rana Gorgani proposes a contemporary approach to Sufi dance, accessible to all, without distinction of culture or belief.
This method connects the ancestral teachings of Sufism to an artistic exploration of movement. It highlights the symbolic dimension of gesture, the beauty of rotation and the power of breath.
Through a lively and sensitive pedagogy, Rana Gorgani invites everyone to become the center of their own spiral, to dance their inner light, and to make the body an instrument of the soul.
