Performance by Konya Turkish Sufi Music Ensemble at the National Theatre of Pécs
Sema Ceremony WHIRLING DERVISHES
The Government of Hungary, in cooperation with that of the Republic of Türkiye, is going to organize a joint Hungarian-Turkish cultural season in 2024 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. On this occasion, a special music and dance performance, the dance of the dervishes, will be shown in Pécs as well. The stunning production of dervishes whirling in ritual dance choreographed by strict rules will be on display only once, on June 8, 2024 at 7:00 pm at the National Theatre of Pécs (1 Színház tér, Pécs, Hungary 7621.)
Sema ceremonies feature psalms sung by a highly trained choir. The dance is accompanied by oriental music, specifically the veiled sound of the reed whistle (zurna), the drum (kudum), and the three-stringed violin (rebab). On stage, the audience can see men dancing in loose, skirt-like dresses gracefully spinning around their own axis and whirling around the center of the stage. The dancers wear a peaky headgear. The true purpose of Sema is to create a ritual ecstasy whereby "a connection is established between the mind of the world and the mind of the dervish." The ritual whirling of dervishes is associated with Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī (1207-1273), a Persian philosopher and theologian who was born in present-day Afghanistan and lived most of his life in Konya, Turkey. After his death, his followers founded the Mevlevi Order; their whirling, i.e., their famous ritual and practice is a way of remembering God.
Mevlevi Sema ceremony was included in UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008. They tour continuously, thus the whole world, and for the first time the audience of Pécs, can take part in this magically beautiful ritual experience.
A teaser of the performance: https://youtu.be/31yuDJn1gHY
Tickets with 20% discount - COUPON CODE: PNSZ20
https://pnsz.jegy.hu/program/szema-ceremonia-161128/1133569?lang=en
You can apply the discount by entering the coupon code PNSZ20 in the Basket.
