Al-Tannoura Sufi dance troupe
Sufi whirling (or Sufi spinning, or Sufi dancing) is a ttwirling meditation practice that originated among the Turkish Sufis, and is still practiced by the Dervishes of the Mevlevi order.
It is quite a mesmerising specatcle to watch, including the beautiful multi-coloured skirts which the (all male) performers detach during a performance and twirl above their heads and around their torsos.
In this symbolic ritual, dervishes (also called semazens) aim to reach the "perfect" (kemal) by relinquishing their egos and personal desires by listening to the hypnotic music and thinking about God while spinning around and around.
Sufi dancers must train from a very young age, before their bodies' inner ear is fully developed, which regulates our sense of balance. This is the only way they can spin continuously for half an hour or more without becoming so dizzy that they fall down or are violently ill, as would surely happen after just a few minutes for an untrained person.
