David Taylor Zikr Dance and Meg York Music Present: "Runes" Production June 2-17.
In a World Premier International Collaboration, Shahrzad Khorsandi new Contemporary Persian Ballet choreography, "Atash" with lyrics from Rumi's Masnavi, will be performed by professional Colorado Ballet and Denver Ballet Theater dancers of David Taylor's Zikr Dance Company.
Colorado based Farabi Ensemble arranged traditional melodies on the Persian Lute tar, vocals, santur and tonbak with Meg York, Clarinet. The Soundtrack was recorded by Professor Jesse Manno, Music Director, Department of Theatre and Dance, University of Colorado, Boulder. Farabi Ensemble has worked closely with Shahrzad Khorsandi to fit the dance to the poem perfectly.
“Atash” means “Fire” in Farsi. The word has many degrees of meaning.
Fire is symbolic for passion and compassion, inebriation from wine and from mystic contemplation. Fire is the comforting warmth of the hearth as well as the sun’s blaze that creates life on our world; fire is the breath of life or can bring death.
Our lyrics come from the Masnavi, Persian: مثنوی معنوی , by Jalal al-Din Muhammad Balkhi, also known as the celebrated Sufi poet Rumi.
The Masnavi is a series of six books encompassing around 25,000 verses or 50,000 lines, and is one of the most beloved works of Sufism.
Farabi Ensemble has arranged traditional Persian Classical melodies to fit the first poem of the Masnavi, which tell the story of the Ney, or cane flute, and metaphorically, the spiritual relationship to the element Fire.
Unlike the lush bamboo, the cane for the Ney flute grows very well in hot desserts and extreme conditions. The Ney flute has been the instrument of contemplation of the dessert – from shepherds to prophets – for thousands of years.
It does not take much for a patch of cane to catch on fire.
In these lyrics, the Ney flute tells its own story. It tells of the time when it was cut in the desert from the plant and cries from being separated from its family and spiritually beloved. This cry becomes part of the sound of the Ney flute. The Ney flute goes on to tell how its sound can sooth souls hurt in love. Another verse tells how the warm exhalation of breath through the Ney reflects the heat of the Ney player’s spiritual compassion, connecting those that understand loss of family and the beloved. The Ney asks for these broken, separated hearts and souls to hear its cry so it can relate the secrets of spiritual love. Whether to bring solace or fiery whirling -- only the listener can tell that story.
Three Traditional Persian Classical melodies have been restructured to fit Shahrzad Khorsandi’s Contemporary Persian Ballet choreography, and are in the same sub modes of “Dastgah Homayoon”:
1. Saghinameh in “Bayate Isfahan”
2. Sama in “Shooshtary” (Rumi’s poem has been re-formatted to fit the melody, yet keeps original words and structure)
3. Reng in “Shooshtary”
In Farabi Ensemble’s soundtrack, “Atash”, the traditional Persian lute, Tar, leads the melody and tempo changes. Clarinet with its cane reed takes the place of the Ney in this arrangement, and the mesmerizing dulcimer Santur and crisp percussion Tonbak complete the tapestry of sound, bridging ancient and modern, east and west. http://megyork.com/farabi/
Lakewood Cultural Center, June 2 and 3 Artist Reception
Lone Tree Arts Center June 10
Dairy Center for the Arts June 15, 16
DI Parsons Theatre Northglen June 17
For Patronage or Adverting in Zikr Printed Catalogue for all 5 shows, contact zikrdancefundraising@gmail.com
or visit: http://www.zikrdance.com/support-zikr.html
Tickets are through:
http://www.zikrdance.com/
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