Sufism And Bharatanatyam

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Sufism and Bharatanatyam are two dance forms that involve skillful movement and lots of history. Although this is a controversial topic, the actual birth of Sufism arose during the 8th and 9th century in the Middle East from the teachings of Prophet Muhammad, the last messenger and prophet of God. Muslims believe in one God, Allah, and knew that the Prophet was helping deliver that message. Prophet Muhammad became an important source of guidance for all the believers and set the agenda for the codification of Sharīʿah law, teachings of the Quran and the Hadiths and Sunnas—words and actions, respectively—of the prophet. Sufis emphasize the direct personal experience of God through dance in a repetitive circular movement, while standing on
Sufis are typically called the ‘Whilring Dervishes’ because they spin at an angle in circles as a form of prayer and connecting. They start with dhikr, the remembrance of God, by frequent repetitions of his [God’s] name. Then comes the dance: the interior remains a shady atmosphere and a soft melodious flute tune is heard. In the tall, circular hats, the men form a big circle and start moving. Simultaneously, they start crying because of the state and level they are in. Their movements are so minuscule and concentrated, that it is hard to tell the movement is present. Slowly, they point their arm to the Earth and move slowly around themselves. At this point, the self-ego is nearly gone and the oneness that they aspired to reach is something they are all finding while rotating.
On the contrary, Bharatanatyam is a dance that originated in Southern India in Tamilnadu approximately 2000 years ago. Initially, it started out as a temple dance tradition called Dasiyattam, the dance of the maid-servants. It involved into a dance form of all classical Indian dances. The word “Bhar” is related to “Bhakti” which means devotion. This specific dance form combines expressive expression with a feeling of spirituality. This form of art has been handed down by nattuvanars, teachers, and devadasis, ritualistic

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