Scattering Stars Whirling Workshop

“We come spinning out of nothingness, scattering stars like dust.” —Rumi

Tune into the sounds of the cosmos and transcend the self through dance.

Inspired by the exhibition The World Is Sound, instructor and dance master Carolina Fonseca will teach the basic philosophical and physical elements of the meditative spinning dance practiced as a devotional ritual by Sufi whirling dervishes, or semazen.

Participants will study the Sufi dance movements performed during traditional ceremonies intended to release the ego by spinning in accordance with the planets in the cosmos. It is believed that the feet form the basis of this cosmic connection, gathering vibrations from the earth, sound, and breath. The poet Rumi, whose work will influence this workshop, was known to commonly recite his own poems while whirling.

“Dance, when you’re broken open. Dance, if you’ve torn the bandage off. Dance in the middle of the fighting. Dance in your blood. Dance when you’re perfectly free.” —Rumi

About the Instructor

Carolina Fonseca began her career in movement performance as a Chinese acrobat and competitive rhythmic gymnast. Her studies took her around the world and eventually to Rajasthan, India, where she learned gypsy dance. She is now a master of gypsy duende dances from around the world, including Sufi, flamenco, and Rajasthani. She continued her artistic development by traveling and learning from families and virtuoso gypsies in Transylvania, Egypt, Belgium, and many other countries. She studied Japanese Noh theater with Masato Matsura in Paris and Indian classical Kathakali dance theatre in Kerala, India.

She has taught and performed in festivals, theaters, and sacred performances around the world, including solo presentations in the New York Gypsy Festival.