He Who Burns

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An exploration of the figure of Iblis, ​

the greatest monotheist, the greatest Lover​

a journey in dance, text and music ​

from the time before time ​

through his separation from his Beloved​

his quest for the same​

through to his ecstatic annihilation

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He Who Burns is an exploration through dance, text and music of the figure of Iblis, Satan, as understood in some Sufi traditions. Through this lens, the dance-theater piece explores the nature of humanity's relationship with the divine, the eternal quest for unity and the illusion of duality in the human experience.​

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He Who Burns takes our notion of good and evil, the divine and the satanic, and turns it on its head. Staged as a trio, He Who Burns takes us on a journey from the time before time, through the suffering of Iblis in his separation from his Beloved, and his quest for the same, through to his ecstatic annihilation.

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The performance at once parallels the Sufi quest, as outlined in the great Sufi text, “Conference of the Birds,” and the structure of the Bharata Natyam performance. The text, from the Persian, Arabic and Urdu of Al-Hallaj, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Mohammed Iqbal, Al Ghazzali, Hafiz and Maulana Jelaluddin Rumi, is performed in Urdu and English.

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The creation of He Who Burns was supported by the National School of Drama, the Alliance Francaise de Madras, the Fulbright Fellowship program, the United States Educational Foundation in India, the Cambridge Arts Council, and the Puffin Foundation.

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Performers: ​

Wendy Jehlen

Pradhuman Nayak

Kim Eun Jung

Jun Lee

Music: ​

Nandlal Nayak​

Projection Design:​

Wendy Jehlen​

Lights: Holly Ko​

 

Photos:​

Julie Lemberger

Tyagrajan

video: Andrew Squier