Whirling (Sufi Dance) Practice with Live Music by Tomchess & Dan Kurfirst

At long last we invite you back to join our Sufi Dance community for meditative whirling known as Samâ (spiritual listening) with live music by Tomchess and Dan Kurfirst of American Sufi Project.

Together, we create a sacred space for you to free your mind, transcend your limits, and share your light. By receiving the divinely inspired vibration of the music and developing our control of the body while surrendering the mind’s worries, let’s share the ecstasy that arises with repeated whirling.

PREVIOUS WHIRLING EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

This is not a class (i.e. there is no instruction) but an open space where we can come together to practice and is open to people of all backgrounds who whirl and follow the path of oneness. Our instructor, Sufi dance artist Paola García, and other experienced whirlers will be present.

RSVP REQUIRED
Fee: $25 via Venmo to @Christopher-Pelham-1 or cash at the door
Email chris@crsny.org to RSVP

If you have not already learned whirling from a Sufi dance teacher, please first attend one of our Sufi Dance classes to learn the basics. Private instruction is also available by appointment. Please contact us for details.

Please remember that whirling commonly induces dizziness or nausea. Avoid eating a large meal for two hours prior to class. Over time, through whirling, we learn to trust ourselves to go off balance, to be dizzy, to surrender control, allowing us to whirl for longer periods. You do not have to whirl for the entire time, but you are encouraged to explore whether your perceived limits are immutable or only self-imposed.

Please wear comfortable clothing (white, gray or black color is preferable, avoiding prints and shiny material which might distract the eye while whirling) safe for dancing in (for women your tops should have straps or cover your shoulders and you should not wear short skirts) and wear socks or soft soled shoes. If you have a whirling skirt, please feel free to bring it.

About American Sufi Project

Based in New York City, the American Sufi Project seeks to transmit through music and art, a taste of divine love. The term ‘Sufism’ encapsulates hundreds of communities across the globe all united by a simple intention – to elevate consciousness, purify the heart and connect people with a greater love and higher power.
‎American Sufi Project on Apple Music

About Musician Tomchess

Tomchess (oud, ney, morsing) is a New York City–based multi-instrumentalist, improviser, and composer who has played and recorded with some of the most esteemed players in the improvisational scene (Dewey Redman, Butch Morris, Pharoah Sanders, Drew Gress, Ronald Shannon Jackson) as well as Moroccan sintarist Hassan Hakmoun. He has performed around the world and at New York City venues like Lincoln Center, the Turkish and Pakistani embassies, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the United Nations He has played on Grammy-nominated recordings and was awarded grants from the Turkish American Society and the Maryland Council for the Arts. In 2012 he was nominated for an Independent Music Award.
https://tomchess.bandcamp.com/

About Musician Dan Kurfirst

Dan Kurfirst is an NYC based percussionist, composer and improviser. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, his music is a product of his good fortune to have been brought up amongst people of all different cultures and master practitioners of varying musical styles.

He has performed extensively in the New York City world music and improvised music scenes for years and has performed with various groups throughout Europe, India and the Middle East. Venues performed at include The John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The Stone, OkeeChobee Festival, Roulette, Alwan for the Arts, Nublu, Rabindra Sadan Cultural Center of Kolkata, Barbes and The Vision Festival.
http://dankurfirstmusic.com/bio/