Tommy Faulconer: Whirling Dervishes

In Turkey, there is a ritual dance which has caught the eye of many people around the world. They have become known as the whirling dervishes and are a part of the Islamic faith and its worship. The dance is one of abandoned jumping and spinning on one foot in a circular form. As the dancers spin and leap, they are constantly chanting the name of Allah which gives them the discipline and the focus to reach a level of communion with their divine. With their focus on their god, they remove themselves from their earthly surroundings while spinning which helps them lose sight of the earth, and they see only Allah and the divine. Their right hand remains uplifted to the heavens to lead their spirits up. It is a real sight to behold as they spin so fast and free while chanting as if entranced by the divine. It is this abandon and ecstatic freedom that allows them to commune with the holy and feel its presence within the movement of their bodies. The basic movement also allows them to free themselves from concentrating on complicated steps and choreography. The dance is designed to free the dancers to float up to the divine where they can be with their higher power.