"Dervish"
Dance/Choreography from Ziya Azazi
"Dervish" is made up of two solos, "’Azab" and "Dervish in Progress" which are Ziya Azazi's personal, artistic analysis of traditional Sufi dances and their interpretation. Western influences form a very important component of the solos, however noticeably different designed. It is about physical feats meeting mysticism, East meeting West, the past meeting the present.
- Dance/Choreography: Ziya Azazi
- Costume: Ischiko
- Lighting Design: Germano Milite
- Music (mixes based on):
- Part I: UWE FELCHLE
- Part II: MERCAN DEDE
- Duration:
- PART I: 20 minutes
- PAUSE: 15 minutes
- PART II: 25 minutes
Solo 1 - "’Azab" (passion)
A short story about the transformation of the being indicated by the enhancement of speed, tension and emotion.
In Sufism, a man has to go through four stages to find himself. First, he has to learn the regulations in order to discover his way. The 1st part of ‘AZAB consists of improvised structure and elements of acrobatics, traditional and contemporary dance which demonstrate the man’s quest and his battle against his agony and fear, against confusion and ignorance. The expression of these feelings is underlined by recessive Sufi sounds, repetitive drums and electronic music.
In the third stage, after discovering his way, the man demonstrates his skills through repetition which in Sufism is accomplished by spinning. AZAB presents the attempt to find ways of looping in horizontal plane in addition to the spinning. This is achieved in the 2nd part of AZAB. The man is seeking for the truth. And going through these four stages, the path of ‘AZAB (Passion), he is able to find the truth in his way.
Solo 2 - "Dervish in Progress"
The man finds the truth in his way through the stages of passion (‘AZAB). My way is the joyful and ecstatic repetition, the looping and spinning which lead to trance. My presence serves as a channel to uncover this magic. The three skirt costumes intensify this, become the central characters and illuminate the diversity of colors, forms and energy which represent this joy.
This dynamic, metamorphic solo presents classic Sufi dance in a spectacular art form. The whirling dervish eventually takes shape and reaches a state of purity.
Other Ziya Azazi Choreographies:
Ziya Azazi's Master Class Workshop:
Upcoming Dates
2 Apr 2009
Biennale Nat. de la Danse
Villejuif, France
4 Apr 2009
Biennale Nat. de la Danse
Choisy le roi, France
From the Press
"Much hope emerges when East and West grow together as we see in Ziya Azazi’s work. Even the title of his solo carries the message: “Dervish in progress”.
Read all »The Turkish dancer who lives in Vienna spins with the spiritual intensity of the real dervishes. However, he opens the ritual completely. The gestures and the forms which are developed during the rotation truly break with tradition. Azazi takes his skirts off one by one and juggles with them in a manner that reminds us of Loie Fuller. He tries not to overtop the avant-garde; he presents a harmonic combination of Sufi and electronic sounds and the gigantic energy that originates from it: To watch and understand “Dervish in progress”, to feel why Turkey is essential to Europe. To overcome the cultural differences by reconciling East and West and tradition with modern age as well. This dervish becomes the living sculpture of a modern artist. It was a good idea to centre the still young festival Teatro Europeo Torino around Azazi - as he was also the linchpin at the opening of the Sziget festival in Hungary on August 9th."
- Ballettanz Jahrbuch 2006
Yann Aubert has taken the Mercan Dede Secret Tribe Band on European tours including the Montreux Jazz Festival, the Paleo Festival and the Festate Chiasso.
As a federally certified Trainer for Swiss Olympic competitive sports, Yann Aubert has coached for rhe Swiss National Team for Rhythmic Gymnastics and also for the Artistic Gymnastics.
Yann Aubert Agency
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