Rumi’s poetry is based on Sufi mysticism, spirituality and most importantly, love. Sufis dance “like nobody’s watching, love like they’ve never been hurt and live like it’s heaven on earth”, as a wise man once said.

However, according to Sufism, there is indeed someone watching – God, and love can never hurt since there is no love without sacrifice. But Sufis dance like there is no tomorrow and dancing is the core of their teaching.

Whosoever knoweth the power of the dance, dwelleth in God. Without love, all worship is a burden, all dancing is a chore, all music is mere noise.

– Rumi

Dance and poetry have one thing in common – freedom, as mortals call it. 13th-century Persian poet Rumi would describe dance as connecting to our true essence. When we dance, we free ourselves.

Freedom, just like poetry, requires sacrifice. It is only through sacrifice that we attain freedom.

‎Dancing is not just getting up painlessly, like a leaf blown on the wind; dancing is when you tear your heart out and rise out of your body to hang suspended between worlds.

– Rumi

According to Rumi, dance is the very essence of life that can be seen everywhere in nature : the sunlight dancing with the shadows, the wind dancing with the trees or the bees with the flowers. Rumi’s world is a world of wonders and in order to see it, we must dance!

Now is the time to unite the soul and the world. Now is the time to see the sunlight dancing as one with the shadows.

– Rumi