Photos of Sufi dancing in Cairo
We just got back from a fabulous evening watching Sufi dancing held in a 16th century inn in Islamic Cairo. The music and dancing was intoxicating, so I just wanted to share some of the photos before logging off tonight. Hopefully we’ll write more about it later…
And the spinning begins…
and continues for an entire thirty minutes!
The second set included three dancers together on the stage.
spinning…
and spinning and spinning. The dancers seemed exhausted, but stable, when they walked off the stage. I, on the other hand, was slightly dizzy.
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October 2nd, 2006 at 6:20 pm
The dancers appearance raises questions. In my limited knowledge, the garb worn by the dancers was white, one-piece garment and their heads were accessorized with a red fez, complete with tassle. Do I have the wrong country or are the dancers colorfully clothed for visual effect? Actually, I like the colors!
October 4th, 2006 at 12:46 am
What amazing Sufi pictures! I especially like the first and last ones – they could be paintings – so beautiful! Miss you guys. Love, Antonie
October 4th, 2006 at 12:59 am
I thought most Sufis were Persian. No?
October 4th, 2006 at 2:31 am
I don’t know that most Sufis are Persian, but there are Sufis throughout the Islamic world. The troupe we saw has been performing two – three times a week for a number of years in Cairo (in fact, I was told they are all civil servants of the Ministry of Culture). According to one article in Wikipedia, there has been a resurgence of interest in Sufism in Egypt since the 1970s.
I also don’t know about the dress they wore. I was also expecting to see white robes, as I saw in tourist brochures of whirling dervish shows in Turkey. Not sure if the colorful skirts were part of the performance, or if it’s uniquely Egyptian.
Articles on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sufism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Egypt
October 7th, 2006 at 11:55 am
Just lookig at the pictures made us dizzy! Are you guys still going to be in Cairo in February? Miss you xx
October 10th, 2006 at 9:49 pm
beautiful indeed!
October 18th, 2006 at 7:31 am
Awesome! I saw the same show when I was in Cairo this summer. I love sufi music and dance, there’s something that’s primal but at the same time elegant about it that’s just.. transcendent. These guys were amazing- I never realized that men could be graceful without being effeminate..
October 18th, 2006 at 7:32 am
And I believe we were told that the colorful quilted skirts were uniquely Egyptian.