Middle Eastern Dance: The Spiritual Connection

The zar is a ritual used to perform a cathartic sort of emotional healing or "exorcism" on behalf of someone, usually a woman, who has been possessed. Although technically forbidden by Islam, it continues to be an essential part of some cultures. It appears mostly in Egypt, Sudan, Somalia, and Ethiopia. In Tunisia, it is called stambali.

The accompaniment to the zar consists of strong drum rhythms, each being specific to a certain spirit. A critical part of the zar is finding the rhythm required to drive out the particular spirit possessing the individual. Sometimes the zar leader sacrifices a chicken, pigeon, sheep, or other animal as part of the ritual.

Hadra

Hadra, which is part of a ceremony by a Sufi brotherhood called the Aissawa, is another exorcism ritual. It opens with improvisational vocals, then moves on to accompaniment on 'bendirs' (frame drums with string stretched across for resonance), and the tarija, a very small drum. A ghaita (similar to an oboe) plays a melody line. The participating men move slowly at first, then as the accompaniment picks up speed their movements become wilder and faster until they eventually move into a trance.

Whirling

The image of the whirling dervish has captured the imagination of people worldwide. The Mevlevi and Jerahi sects of Islam are two examples who use whirling as a devotional tool in a spiritual group event known as a Sema. It moves the practitioner into an enhanced state of awareness, a kind of ecstasy.

While whirling, the individual holds both arms outstretched to each side, with the right hand slightly above shoulder height and the left hand slightly below. The palm of the right hand faces toward the sky to receive the blessings of heaven, and the left palm faces toward the floor to channel them to earth. The eyes slip out of focus, which is what protects against dizziness or motion sickness.

New Spiritual Connections

As people in the United States and other Western countries have embraced Middle Eastern dance, many have found ways to integrate it into their personal spiritual practices. Although some have embraced the traditional Middle Eastern forms described above, most have created their own ways of exploring their spiritual journeys within the dance.

The majority of Western dancers who use the dance for spiritual exploration today do so outside of any particular religion or belief system. Modern day leaders in bringing together spirituality and dance include Delilah, Z-Helene, and Goddess

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