Sama: Sufism, Motion, and Practice

On May 8th 2021, American Friends of Sufi Arts, Culture and Knowledge (AFSACK) ™ hosted a Salon Conversation with members of the MTO Zendeh Delan ® ensemble on the topic of Sama, the Sufi practice of listening with the heart that fuses motion, music, and poetry. 

Zendeh Delan ®—literally translating to awakened hearts—is a non-profit group consisting of students of MTO Shahmaghsoudi ® School of Islamic Sufism ® who live, study, and work throughout Europe. The diverse ensemble collaborates to present the inner dimensions and divine attributes of the human being in the forms of poetry, music, and the harmonious motions of zikr and sama. Zendeh Delan has been practicing sama under direct instructions of Professor Nader Angha since 2010.

In March 2014, the Zendeh Delan ensemble presented the spiritual movements of sama publicly for the first time at the Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London. While the two-hour program was presented to an audience of 1,500 and further distributed as film, the ensemble had not shared additional background and insight on the groundbreaking presentation until this Salon Conversation.

To learn more about sama and stay connected with the Zendeh Delan ensemble, please visit zendehdelan.org.