Texas Tech University

The Whirling Dervishes of Rumi perform at the ICC on 1/27

The Whirling Dervishes of Rumi performed at the International Cultural Center on January 27, 2015. The students attending the performance were members of a creative writing class from J.T. Hutchinson Middle School. The ceremony began with a brief history of Sufism, the poet Rumi and the founding of the Mevlevi Order, most often known as the Whirling Dervishes. The visitors from Istanbul, Turkey, performed traditional folk music and then mesmerized the audience by sharing 800 years of tradition and history through Sufi music and the Whirling Dervish performance. Sufism is a dimension of Islam based on the teachings of the prophet Muhammad and the Qur'an. It emphasizes universal love, peace, acceptance of various spiritual paths and a mystical union with the divine. Hutchinson students will be sharing their thoughts on the experience through their writing activities in class.