Minute 23

  Minute 23 (by Victoria Guerra Rovira)

I did not know of the existence of whirling dervishes and never would have imagined that we share many things in common. I've been dancing since forever. It is an activity that I love because it makes me forget everything; it is connected with the music and my soul. But above all, it makes me feel free.

Whirling dervishes or mevlevis feel the same way. The whirling dervishes represent a profound spiritual journey connecting them with the divine through their dance ceremony called 'Sema'. As they spin, they reach a trance state, free from worldly concerns and uniting with the spiritual world.

For my project, I made a small stop-motion video. It is made with 12 frames drawn by me of a whirling dervish in his process of reaching that spiritual trance. The song playing in the background is called 'Mushighi Filme Arayeshe Ghaliz Dow', performed by Iranian singer Homayoun Shajarian, accompanied by Iranian musician Sohrab Pournazeri. I chose this song because it uses an instrument called 'kamancheh'. This same instrument is also used in Sema ceremonies to accompany the dervishes' dance. I also chose it because it is sung in Persian. This is important because the Mevlevi order (which is the order to which the whirling dervishes belong) was founded by the followers of the Persian poet Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī (also known as Rumi).

Rumi is considered one of the most important poets, and his works have been translated into several languages. He was also a Sufi mystic and Islamic scholar.

In my stop-motion video, between the dancer's turns, I chose to add an excerpt from a poem by Rumi about dance. I opted for this because it transmits all those feelings you have when you dance with your soul. For Rumi, dance was a beautiful way to achieve freedom.

My project is dedicated to all those who feel that dance is an escape from reality towards spiritual freedom.

Thank you for your time! :)