A dance woven from the soul of mugham

About the Project

Sama is a collaboration between Alim Qasimov—the legendary voice of Azerbaijani mugham — and choreographer and movement artist Sashar Zarif, developed under the "Dancing Mugham" project. The work began in Baku in 2004 and has grown over more than twenty years into a sustained dialogue between voice and body. It draws on mugham music, Sufi poetry, and sacred ritual practice, exploring how movement can arise from sound, presence, and inner experience.

In this work, a centuries-old musical tradition meets Sufi choreography. Qasimov's improvisational voice and Zarif's movement practice—grounded in spiritual traditions—together revisit the deep relationship between mugham and sama, and between music, dance, love, and longing.

The Mugham Ensemble completes this exchange. Through quiet, responsive improvisation, the musicians create the sonic world in which the performance unfolds.

Sama is not a duet in the conventional sense. It is a dialogue—between voice and body, tradition and transformation.

Built on more than two decades of creative exchange, "Dancing Mugham" approaches tradition through emotional meaning and physical poetry. Each performance takes shape through listening, presence, and improvisation.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Alim Qasimov

Alim Qasimov is an internationally recognised master of mugham who has contributed significantly to the preservation and transmission of this art form. His voice holds both the depth of its history and a powerful, living expression.

A laureate of the UNESCO Music Prize, Qasimov's work extends beyond performance—he remains a central figure in passing mugham on to future generations.

Sashar Zarif

Sashar Zarif works with movement as a form of embodied memory. Over thirty years, he has performed and taught in more than 40 countries, developing a practice rooted in Sufi traditions, performance, and education—one in which movement bridges memory and transformation.

A laureate of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and recipient of awards from the Fulbright Association, Zarif's work engages deeply with bodily memory and cultural continuity.

Artistic Director's Note

Dancing Mugham began with a straightforward question: could mugham find expression through movement being a tradition so deeply tied to memory and breath? When I brought this question to Alim Qasimov in 2004, he responded openly and generously. His voice taught us to hear sound differently—to attend to the music, the space, the silence, and what lies beneath.

The process that followed was not simply choreography. It was a conversation—between breath and vibration, memory and movement. Over time, it became what we call "Living Narratives."

Ishq is not a matter of technique. It is about presence—the place where sound, rhythm, and movement come together.

In a time when love is often simplified, Ishq returns us, slowly and carefully, to its source. This work is not an attempt to define love—it is a moment of experiencing it together.

Sashar Zarif