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a Sufi religious practice. The word "tannoura" may refer to the dance, the dancer,
or the large skirt used in the performance. Furthermore, the name of one
particular group of performers in Cairo is the "Al Tannoura Dance Troupe".
performed by individuals at
nightclubs and festivals, and was
fortunate to participate in a
folkloric tannoura workshop. I
have observed the Al-Tannoura
dance troupe on 4 occasions.
Further information about me that
may be pertinent to my
observations and interpretation
can be found here.
Al-Tannoua Dance Troupe are
here.
2006 by Aleta Quinn
Here follows a description of a performance by the Al Tannoura Troupe in Cairo. There are three parts to the show; the order
of the second versus the third has changed in recent years.
Outline of the Show
First, the musicians perform alone. The band at this point consists of rebaba (folk fiddle), ney (flute), mizmar (shawm),
frame drums, sagat (cymbals), and tabla (doumbek drum). There are solos by the mizmar, frame drum, sagat, and tabla.
sings religious material. A group of about six dancers enters,
playing mazhara (large version of the riq, which is a particular
form of tambourine). One central dancer enters and
immediately begins spinning in place. The dancer spins for a
prolonged period (in one show, a friend of mine timed the
primary dancer at 40 minutes of continuous spinning).
The third and final portion of the show consists of another
tannoura performance, currently by three dancers
simultaneously. The musicians remain as in the preceding two
parts, with some personnel changes. The mazhara players are
absent The performers execute many folkloric moves, such
as throwing the skirts in the air, spinning the skirts at different
levels and angles, and spinning the skirt while lying down.
The long tannoura dance, referred to above as the second portion of the show, is
religious in focus. I have been unable to locate adequate material about the religious
aspects of the tannoura. For that reason, I will first describe the actual performance
objectively. I will then present specific impressions, questions and some historical
context.
dancer. They may circle either counter-clockwise (the same direction as the central
dancer), or clockwise. The speed of the circling also varies. The group dancers
perform synchronized body motions, such as twisting the body back and forth,
raising and lowering the mazhara, specific travelling steps, raising the arms and face,
and hand and facial gestures. The dancers put down the mazhara after about ten
minutes. One man leads by cuing each particular formation, direction, speed, and
body motion. The same man played the cymbals during the first part of the show in
three of the four performances that I have seen.
the duration of his performance. He begins by manipulating
three brightly colored frame drums. After passing these to
a spotter, he removes and briefly dances with his jacket.
The spotter takes the jacket as well. The extended,
trance-like portion of the dance now begins.
changes at several points. The body language and facial
expressions of the dancers vary as well. The musicians,
notably the singer, sometimes sway or perform a twisting
motion.
is performing the twisting motion.
minutes. Subsequently the central dancer unfurls a large flag marked in Arabic. At the moment the flag opens, all the
instruments strike up a chorus and the lights are raised.
The central dancer then folds the flag and passes it to a spotter. In the last few minutes of the show, the dancer performs
several folkloric tricks with the skirt. The long portion of the show concludes as the central dancer ceases his spin.
The central dancer appears actually to enter a trance. I have been informed that this performer is in fact Sufi, in contrast to
the folkloric tannoura who perform the short program.
As an observer, I "zoned out". (I made the premeditated decision to allow myself to completely zone out after a few minutes
rather than trying to take more photographs). Many of the other audience members also appeared transfixed. In this
respect, I consider that the audience can be said to participate in the tannoura by entering a trance-like state. During one of
the shows I watched, a large group of tourists got up and left in the middle of the show. I suppose they did not experience
the trance-like effect.
The whirling motion itself reflects the importance of circles in Sufi philosophy and cosmology, within which revolution is the
fundamental state of all beings.
Clearly, the changes in music, body language, facial expression, and the flag are intended to communicate. It seemed to me
that the tannoura contained a cohesive message, communicated sequentially over the course of the show.
I do not speak Arabic and thus could not understand the message (assuming my above interpretation is correct and there
actually is a message). Nevertheless, I will present some relevant information. Within the Sufi tradition, the ney holds great
significance as a metaphor. The wind passing through the ney is not (simply) the breath of the individual playing the
instrument, but the breath of God.
formalized into a series that describes a spiritual journey. The dancer may
actually take the spiritual journey, but in addition, the movements themselves
tell the story of the spiritual journey in general.
ney, enters the journeyer, symbolized (and possibly enacted) by the dancer. The journeyer attains a state of ecstasy through
union with God; revelation ensues.
*** I emphasize, this is purely my own uninitiated layman's conjecture. If someone out there knows better and can provide
reference material, please correct me (and write a wiki article!).***
There seems to be a dearth of information about the history of the tannoura. The most obvious idea is that Mevlevi Sufis
travelled to Egypt and practiced the whirling Sema there. The Egyptians picked up the practice both for devotional purposes,
as practiced by real the darawish (from "dervish"), and as a folk dance. The tannoura evolved to include the bright skirts,
specific movements and music, folkloric introductions, and so on.
However, dance researcher Laurel Victoria Gray writes of a different possibility. She studied tannoura with Adil, the sagat
player and leader of the group dancers as mentioned above. She writes: "But then Adil told me that tanoura had been
introduced to Egypt by the Fatimids."
The Fatimids captured (and named) Cairo around 970 CE, invading from Tunisia (although Said ibn Husayn - the founder of
the Fatimid dynasty - was Syrian, he travelled to Tunisia and founded the Caliphate there). The Seljuks captured Cairo in the
mid 1100s, so the introduction of tannoura would have been between 970 and 1100 CE. The Mevlevi order of Sufism was
founded in 1273 CE by followers of Jalal al-Din Muhammed Rumi. Consequently, if the tannoura was brought to Egypt by
the Fatimids, its origin predates the Mevlevi.
The practice of spinning is quite ancient and occurs in many cultures. Spinning was practiced in Iran, Rumi's original home,
long before Rumi's followers founded the Mevlevi order. Sufism is as old as Islam in the broad sense of mystic practice (7th
century CE), with formal theorists first occurring around the 9th century. It is therefore reasonable to suppose that both the
Mevlevi Sama and the Tannoura derive from a single, preexisting tradition.
If you have further information and reference materials about tannoura, please contact me (and write that wiki article!).
Images and video of the Al-Tannoura Dance Company, by Ma'at productions, can
be viewed at www.maat.com.au/2005/Dancing.html
Tanoura: the Egyptian Dervish Dance. By Laurel Victoria Gray, copyright 2004.
www.laurelvictoriagray.com/tanoura.htm
Interview of Omar Faruk Tekbilek by 6moons as an "Industry Feature" in July 2002
www.6moons.com/industryfeatures/faruk/faruk_1.html
A description of the spiritual journey of mehlevi sema is available at
www.mevlana.net/sema.htm
Information on Mevlevi philosophy and in particular the importance of the ney can
be found at www.iranshahr.com/ney.htm
A close-up image of a mazhar, as well as an audio sample of the instrument being
played by an American frame drum master, N Scott Robinson, is here:
www.nscottrobinson.com/gallery/mazhar.php
