Dervish

DANCE

On July 16, 1964, just a few months after a first agreement signed with Morocco, Belgium signed an agreement with Turkey regarding the employment of Turkish workers in Belgium, opening the borders for thousands of foreign workers who came to settle in the flat country to address the lack of workforce, thus changing its contemporary history.

To celebrate the sixty years of this historic agreement that enriched – economically and culturally – the country, the Théâtre de Liège rolls out the red carpet to welcome as the season opener the Turkish choreographer and dancer Ziya Azazi and his enchanting solo, Dervish, which modernizes the whirling dervishes and their traditional swirling dance, inscribed on the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Inspired by the mysticism inherent in Sufism – a philosophy that explores the reasons for the creation of man and the universe around him – the native of Antakya, a medium-sized city in southern Turkey, explores, in a performance charged with symbolism, dance and whirlwind as unique experiences capable of opening new paths towards spiritual elevation.