On the occasion of the 800th anniversary of the great Persian humanist, mystic, poet and theologian Rumi, UNESCO has declared 2007 as the Year of Rumi. Rumi founded the Mevlevi mystic order, commonly known as the “Whirling Dervishes,” and created the Sema rite, a ritualistic sacred dance to symbolically seek the divine truth and maturity and spin the dancers into an ecstatic, mystical trance. Turkish vocalist Ahmet Ozhan, a leading representative of the Sufi music tradition and a leading interpreter of songs set to Rumi texts, will make a rare appearance in the United States performing with his forty-member music and dance ensemble, followed by an appearance by the Whirling Dervishes of Turkey, with their colorful tunics that rise up like tops and change colors as they spin. (Dennis Polkow)
Millennium Park’s Pritzker Pavilion, Michigan between Randolph and Monroe, (312)742-1938. Thu 6:30pm. Free.
Palimpsests: A Preview of S45 at SITE/less For “S45," Michelle Kranicke and Paige Cunningham-Caldarella invited three choreographers to join them in taking a section of Merce Cunningham's “Suite for Five” as a jumping off point for a new dance.
