Come as You Are

Rumi - America's Best Selling Poet

Sunday, September 30 is the 800th anniversary of the birth of Rumi, one of the great spiritual poets of all history and the best selling poet in the United States for the last several years. Born in what is modern-day Afghanistan, Rumi fled through Persia to Turkey ahead of the Mongol hoards that later conquered all of Central Asia. Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi is credited as the founder of the Sufi branch of Islam. Sufis are Islam's mystics, using sacred dance and meditation to connect with and to channel the love of God. As such, Sufi mystics are often persecuted by more fundamental Islamists like the Salafi Muslims of Saudi Arabia - who appear to be more interested in Jihad than in love. Indeed, like fundamentalists of every stripe, the Salafis believe that the use of music is "Halal" or "forbidden" by the faith. How weak their faith must be to deny themselves and others the beauty of music, art and human culture. In contrast, Sufi Muslims use sacred song, dance, poetry and most of all love to unlock the divine within.

2007 has been declared the "Year of Rumi" in Turkey and Central Asia, where Dervishes continue to whirl in meditative dance to the sacred music of the region. (image: Rumi's Tomb, Turkey) But most of us know Rumi from his poems, which often focus on love and always reflect insight and an appreciation for great beauty. I've included several relevant YouTube videos. The first is a short elocution on the poetry of Rumi by Dr. Majid M. Naini, a leading authority on Rumi who has authored several books on the Sufi master.

The second Video showcases one of Rumi's poems, set to colorful images accompanied by peaceful music. Just for a taste. And the third video is a clip of Sufi Dervishes whirling in sacred dance. These three Dervishes, from the Damascus Dervish group, really capture for me the trancelike meditation of the dance. One hand raised to heaven to connect with divine love, and the other facing down toward the earth passing that love along to all creatures as the Dervish whirls. Check it out.

Bollywood Dance Competition - Intercollegiate Style

When teams from Standford, Berkeley, USC and UCLA square-off, there is usually sport involved. That's why I was surprised to discover that the West Coast's latest organized collegiate competition involves Bollywood dance. Uh huh, that's right. Though collegial musical showcases, often with awards for best performance, are not uncommon; the arts are usually too genteel for fierce competition. Well, not for a group of enthusiastic (and brainy) California Desis who have turned Bollywood dance into a competitive sport - featuring large troups of dancers, multiple costume changes, and sappy romance or moralistic melodrama. And why not? Buff and brainy dancers shaking their hips and undulating as only NRIs can. How do they do that head thing?

A few months ago, trained and tuned-up teams of young dancers representing the four really big California universities gathered at Bollywood Berkeley to show off their moves before a crowd of screaming partisan fans. This is better than any cheerleading competition ever was. Not that I ever tuned-in to one of those. And these teams are serious about having fun and competing. If you don't believe me, then check out this gangsta intro video that the USC team put together. Then there's this longer vid of the Stanford team in one of their dances. And finally, this 29-sec clip of the winning UCLA team on stage.

So this is definitely the kind of thing I could veg-out and watch on Saturday afternoons over a Kingfisher beer and Samosas.

Afro-American Dance Festival

Today's SFGate reports that a couple of major dance events are coming to the San Francisco/Oakland Bay region.

THE BLACK CHOREOGRAPHERS FESTIVAL: HERE AND NOW Runs Feb. 9-11 at the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, 1428 Alice St., Oakland, and Feb. 15-18 at ODC Theater, 3153 17th St., San Francisco.

This event will feature the trend-setting Savage Jazz Dancers.

THE NEXT WAVE CHOREOGRAPHERS SHOWCASE Runs Feb. 23-24 at Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24th St., San Francisco. Tickets: $10-$20; call (415) 273-4633. The festival also includes master classes and a symposium. For more information, go to www.bcfhereandnow.com