INTO THE LIGHT’ is a journey within the inner world of those who strive for the awakening of consciousness. Vedic culture and Sufi culture are similar in many ways, united by the purity on the pursuit of personal growth, by the all-embracing and unifying philosophy. Eshani Lasya (Portugal) and Smirna Kulenović (Bosnia) are the authors, performers and choreographers of this performance that addresses the common points in Indian Classical Dance - Bharata Natyam, in this case - and the mystical Mevlevi Sufi practice.
They share the stage with Ishtar Bakhtali (Netherlands), musician and composer of the soundtrack that sustains the narrative. A powerful and intense performance, as profound as explosive, coloured by poems from Persian and Indian cultures.
'Being influenced by Jazz, Electronic music and Carnatic singing I'm using loopstation, vocal effects, tanpura and synth to arrange existing compositions or to create new ones'.
Ishtar Bakhtali
Uniting Sufi & Indian Dance and Music
'Samadhi' and 'Zikr' are words in different languages (sanskrit and farsi) that mean the same: meditative trance. Every single civilisation in the World used to have rituals that led into this kind of trance because it was imperative for people to reach a dimension beyond themselves. Human beings have always felt the need to understand the part they play on the whole scene. But these important rituals have been increasingly forgotten with time.
“In a culture that no longer believes in the power of ritual, how to go back to the consciousness that every action is connected to you deepest Self ? Being conscious that each moment in dance and in life is a step towards the state of full trust in the Universe. ”
