I just got back from seeing an amazing performance--Mercan Dede and his ensemble who were performing at Century Ballroom. The Turkish born, Montreal based, world-beat musician/producer subtly fuses the Eastern spiritual traditions of Sufi music with contemporary ambient sounds to create a unique mix of old and new, sacred and secular, East and West. All of the musicians were extremely talented, including a very young 15 year old clarinet player. What really amazed me was the presence of two Whirling Dervishes. Before tonight, I had no idea what a whirling dervish was. Essentially, they twirl around in a circle like mad throughout the entire piece, as much as half an hour--not even spotting and not getting dizzy at all. This is apparently a sacred Sufi dance to elevate the dancer to a trance-like state, bringing him/her closer to Allah. At one point, the lights dimmed and this electric jagged light stitched to the dervish's skirt lit up, creating a beautiful effect. My jaw was dropped for most of the tonight's show...this is a must-see. Everyone in the audience was feeling the groove of the music and jamming away.