Dance is regarded as the expression of spirit possession in Burma. In nat kana pwe (private urban ceremonies), the nat kadaw (spirit medium) dances, embodying consecutively the Thirty-Seven nats, a defined pantheon of spirits whom devotees propitiate in order to gainhealth and wealth. In embodying these as well as other spirits, the medium moves fluidly between human and animal, masculine and...
In Xinjiang, northwestern China, the Uyghur Sufi Muslims practice a localised samāʿ ritual called hälqä-sohbät, which involves dhikr, singing and dancing. Participants in hälqä-sohbät sometimes enter an altered state of consciousness called jäzba, which literally means pulled by God. The hälqä-sohbät includes various sounds such as the singing of hikmät, muqam and mäshräp, as well as instrument...