Whirling Dervishes of Turkey in Salt Lake City

By Nicole Warburton - Deseret Morning News - Salt Lake City, UT, U.S.A.

Saturday, March 31, 2007

It's a dance that's described as mystic and otherworldly — not quite on this realm

During the sema, or ritual dance of the Whirling Dervishes, men and women wearing a simple white garment and cap spin and whirl with precise discipline in an attempt to forget themselves and become closer to God.

Their white clothing represents a shroud, their cap a tombstone for personal ego. On Tuesday, a group of Whirling Dervishes from Afyon, Turkey, will dance the sema during a special one-night performance at Kingsbury Hall.

Their performance will be preceded by a recital of Turkish and Sufi music.

The event is sponsored by the Multicultural Arch Foundation, a Utah nonprofit that seeks to build understanding among different cultures. Co-sponsors include the University of Utah Campus Sufi Forum; Global Cultural Connection, California; and Ebru TV.

Etga Ugur, president of the Multicultural Arch Foundation, said he is hopeful the performance will help Utahns gain a better understanding of the dervishes and their Sufi religion. The Whirling Dervishes are one branch of Sufism, which has roots in Islam, and is based around the teachings of the poet Rumi.

UNESCO has declared 2007 the Year of Rumi to celebrate the 800th anniversary of his birth in 1207. "His message is generally applicable to any human condition," Ugur said.

"The motto of the Sufis is that you first need to know yourself in order to know God." To become a dervish, or "contemporary disciple of Rumi," requires hours of training and self-discipline, according to Ugur. They are taught by a master, who gives them assignments designed to help overcome personal ego and materialism.

For example, a man or woman could be made to clean a garden, or sell items on the street, to help them overcome personal selfishness and ego, Ugur said. "You try to overcome your lower desires such as anger and lust," he said. "You try to control your certain tendencies."

With the sema, dervishes will use music and dance to help create "spiritual well-being" and bring the spirit closer to God.

While their garments represent a shroud, death is not considered a negative thing, said Ugur. It's actually something that is wished for, and desired. "They cannot wait until the moment of death and to meet God," he said. "In a way they are trying to overcome the materialistic desires. They are trying to overcome the expectations of the world."

The dervishes will perform beginning at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at Kingsbury Hall.

Tickets are available at www.kingsburyhall.org, or 801-581-7100.

[picture: Courtesy of Global Cultural Connection, California]