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Zikr Dance Ensemble RepetoireZikr Dance Ensemble Repertoire The Gurdjieff Sacred Movements are the work of enlightened Armenian mystical artist and teacher, George Gurdjieff (1870-1949). Gurdjieff created the Movements as part of his teaching system, basing them on various religious dances and rituals he saw while travelling throughout Asia. What is today known as The Gurdjieff Movements is a repertoire of ancient and sacred dances and esoteric movements gathered from closed communities, temples and monasteries in the Near and Middle East and Asia. Gurdjieff created each of the movements, of which there are over 250, as exercises to develop in his students what he called 'presence of being' - being completely aware of the present moment & not slave to the unconscious mind. With this focus, the movements, unlike most dance forms today which are a purely artistic/aesthetic experience, are more concerned with the spiritual/mystical experience, to bring about a higher state of consciousness and awareness. Hence the dance becomes a meditation. According to one of his own explanations, the aim of his Movements was to assist the "harmonious development of man," by a method of "combining mind and feeling with the movements of the body, and manifesting them together. The Gurdjieff Sacred Movements: The Assyrian Women Mourners Trembling Dervish Ho Yah Note Values The Four Prophets (staged by Deborah Longo) Walking Prayer (staged by Amiyo Devienne and Chetan Greenberg) Men Ceremony (staged by Amiyo Devienne and Chetan Greenberg) The Shouting Dervish (staged by Deborah Longo) Dance of the Brotherhood of Olbogmek (staged by Deborah Longo) Om Circles Multiplication 8 October Original Repertoire by David Taylor (unless otherwise stated): Portals Runes Samsara The Lady of the Lake Sadhu Los Penitentes Parallel and Elevated Time's Up Zikr (the Whirling Dervishes) Sang Hyang Dedari (excerpt from "Bali Agung") In Your Eyes Cham Mandala Cathedral of Light Vespers Apsara Third Force Guides Field of Fire Sanctuary Psalm # 1 Psalm # 2 Altar Ancient Shadows Oracle Lifting The Veil Portals Atash choreographed by Shahrzad Khorsandi |