We are thrilled to welcome Ziya Azazi back to Toplocentrala on July 29, 30, and 31, 2024, for a special evening of movement, energy, and transformation. This time, he brings us two of his most iconic solo performances—Dervish in Progress (DIP) and Ember—which, when performed together, create a deeply immersive experience.
A Look into Ziya Azazi’s Repertoire
Following his full-length performance DERVISH last year and his latest work PIETA 2.0, premiered in January, this combination offers a new perspective through two of his earlier works. With DIP and Ember, Azazi once again challenges movement, tradition, and expression, giving the audience a completely different experience.
Dervish in Progress – The Evolution of Whirling
Dervish in Progress is a meeting point between Sufi whirling and contemporary movement, where tradition transforms into personal expression. Here, Azazi invites us to witness whirling as a living, breathing art form—a practice that carries centuries of wisdom yet remains open to evolution.
At the heart of the performance is the skirt—not just a costume, but an extension of his body, his dance partner, his protection, and his freedom. With every turn, it shifts and transforms, just like the journey of self-discovery itself. Through repetition and rhythm, movement becomes meditation, leading both performer and audience into a space of deep awareness.
Ember – Fire, Knowledge, and the Cycle of Existence
While DIP focuses on inner transformation, Ember takes us further—into the raw reality of human struggle, enlightenment, and destruction.
Here, Azazi explores the fragility of knowledge, showing how what once guided us can also limit and consume us. Fire takes center stage—not just as an element, but as a symbol of wisdom, creation, and chaos. In Ember, spinning becomes survival, a way to navigate the endless cycles of life and death, creation and collapse.
A Powerful Double Performance
Together, Dervish in Progress and Ember move from the meditative stillness of whirling to the explosive intensity of fire, offering a profound contrast that questions tradition, progress, and the delicate balance between freedom and self-destruction.
Azazi doesn’t just perform—he invites us into an experience, where movement is philosophy, fire is a metaphor, and whirling is a path to deeper understanding.
📍 Venue: Toplocentrala, Sofia, Bulgaria
📅 Dates: July 29, 30, 31, 2025
This is more than a performance—it’s an invitation to feel, reflect, and transform