The IFM hosted, on May 19, the Nastaliq du Souffle, Presented by Mauritian dancer Shaheen and Comorian singer Nawal, who draw inspiration from religious poetry to create beauty. By embodying divine qualities through voice and movement, they invite the audience to spiritual elevation through the grace of their movements and the depth of their voices. Dominique Bellier
The artist, Nawal Mlanao, as the heir to a Sufi lineage and world music traditions, conveys a universal message of peace and joy through her songs. The richness of her voice, punctuated bySufi rhythms and the spirit of the blues, has captivated Shaheen Saliahmohamed, an expert in Indo-Arab-Persian artistic traditions and an aerial dancer.
The dance of the whirling dervishes is closely related to aerial dance. The energy of the movements performed with long ribbons of fabric embodies the divine to the chanting of songs of contentment and peace, becoming a vehicle for universality and harmony.
The warm, powerful resonance of Nawal’s voice—known in world music circles as the “priestess of the Moon Islands”— is reflected in the graceful liveliness of the sacred calligraphic forms that Shaheen draws in space. They combine their talents to the sound of the gambusi, the daf (a descendant of the ravanne), and the hang. Shaheen is unmatched in her ability to become one with the lengths of fabric she wraps, ties, and unties as the figures unfold. The audience holds its breath as her body unrolls the suspended ribbon to come to a halt a few decameters above the ground, or when, with her arms at right angles, she spins like a top in the style of the dervishes. They have united their art to convey the spirituality of a practice of openness that makes the heart within each of us sing and dance.
Upcoming events: June 19 in Mayotte and June 27 in Moroni.
