Rumi Night - Sufi Whirling Dance Sama & Poetry

Sufi dancing is best known for, and associated with the dancing of whirling dervishes, who originated in the 13th century as followers of the poet and mystic, Rumi. However, these dances are not related to a specific person or religion. It speaks to a much older and deeper consciousness observed throughout the universe and woven into the human soul. In the galaxy, there is the same rotation in every atom, the same dance in the light particles that make up life.

Bita Rafia is a teacher, leader, and choreographer of these spiritual and mystical dances, including Dances of Universal Peace and Sama. She was born in Khorasan, a region in northeastern Iran. Khorasan, meaning "where the sun arrives from", was once the centre for Persian Mysticism and produced some of the greatest mystics, including Rumi and Attar. Bita started learning various dances at age 15 from different teachers and chose Sama as her path of devotion and expression. Residing in Turkey, she shares it with others through her teachings and global performances. One of her most notable works is Sama in Seven Valleys of Love, inspired by the book “Conference of the Birds” by the Persian poet Attar, which depicts the stages of the spiritual journey through love.

Join in on a special event on the 28th of November at the Sufi Temple in Newlands as Bita facilitates a deeper experience of connection through whirling dances.

Bita will be joined by Fa'Deela Ally-Schmidt, a Ubuntu holder, activator and healer with expertise in sound and body medicine who is inspired to co-weave the tapestry of humanity together into a beautiful synthesis of souls connected to Divinity and united in diversity.

Sama is a sacred and age-old spiritual ceremony of music, song, and dance. Eventually incorporated into the Dervish Sufi dancing, Sama or whirling is more than a physical motion, it is a deeply spiritual journey through which we discover how to tap into our inner wisdom and guidance. We experience oneness from this connection and attain a state of bliss. It becomes sacred geometry in motion, resembling the spiral shape of the Fibonacci Sequence, creating a vortex through which to connect to the Divine.

Bring your favourite Rumi Poem to share as we co-create an evening of poetry in motion.

This whirling is in everything, and the core of everything is God - the everlasting and unchanging.

While we whirl, we are revolving around that God/Self/Higher Consciousness.