1. Listen — Don’t simply recite the sacred phrase. Listen
to the other voices. Listen to the person directing the dance. When
you listen, your voice automatically harmonizes. Find the center
of the sound.
2. Feel — The dances are designed to take us more and more
into the universe of feeling. Stay with your feeling. If you go
off into the world of thoughts, don't judge yourself; simply bring
your concentration back to feeling. The heart center, in the middle
of the chest, is the natural place to begin.
3. Concentrate on the Sacred Phrase — The sacred phrase,
sometimes referred to as wazifa or mantram, centers
the dance. We all repeat this together. The Grace of Allah can operate
through the sacred phrase if we are willing to receive it, to let
it be. With each repetition, feel the phrase touching your being
in a deeper and deeper way.
4. Don't be afraid to stop the Dance
— This is for the dance leaders. If the dance gets out of control,
or just isn't making it, it is much better to stop, and begin anew.
Learning is much more important than just doing.
5. Simple, Rhythmic Music — This can be a great aid. Guitar
and drum are especially helpful. Musicians should emphatically resist
going off on their own. The sacred phrase must be uppermost in their
concentration. The music should accentuate the natural rhythm of
the sacred phrase. Drummers especially bear this in mind. The simpler
the better. Don't dominate the space. The sacred phrase should by
far be the loudest sound. If you play your instrument correctly,
no one will even notice you. Isn't that wonderful?
6. Move Together — Restrain the exuberant impulse to make
an individual expression. You will be amazed how much higher/deeper
the dances are when you use that same energy to harmonize with the
others in the circle. Feel your body fully. Then gradually, or suddenly,
become the whole circle.
7. Watch your Breath — Breath is life. Breath is movement.
Voice is breath. Let breath breathe. Return to awareness of breath
in silence between dances. Notice the subtle changes in breath with
each dance.
8. Ecstasy — These dances can lead to states of ecstasy.
Joyously invigorating! In dances where you are brought to the center
of the circle, especially soar. But always soar with your whole
being. Taste all planes at the same time. If your feet are firmly
grounded on the earth, then your head can be high in the heavens.
9. Devotion — This is a grace. To willingly submit ourselves
to Allah/God in Whom we live, and move, and have our being. Hypocrisy
may be the only sin. How wonderful it is when we actually feel like
bowing in humility before the eternal truth. These dances can be
worship: the celebration of the Divine Presence. The Sufis call
this akhlak Allah—acting as if in the Presence of Allah;
and knowing that even if you don't see Allah, verily Allah sees
you.
10. Amin, Amayn, Amen — These mean "so be it".
We say this at the conclusion of many dances. Other phrases such
as the Sanskrit Svaha, or the Native American Ho,
are also used. The important thing is not to say it, but to mean
it, to affirm it with one's whole being.
11. Silence — There may be a silent meditation before the
dance starts, but if the participants are not experienced in this
they may learn the meditation through dancing and also learn the
dancing through meditation. As the sound and music of the dance
stop, enter the Silence. This is your opportunity to hear what has
been created. In this silence one can absorb the qualities evoked
during the dance. This is the most important part of the dance.
It becomes all encompassing.