‘SHAMS’ @ Verdigris Ensemble

Photos by Richard Hill Studio

—Martha Heimberg

Verdigris Ensemble’s production of “SHAMS” was a revelation! What a joyful expression of the intimate and mystical poetry of 13th-century Persian poet and Islamic scholar Rumi. Sahba Aminikia composed the rhythmic, sensual score, and Zara Houshmand translated the work from the original Farsi.

The extensive program notes explain that Rumi credited his own poems to a life-changing meeting with the dervish Shams Tabrizi, who opened his eyes and heart to the power of love. The 50-minute multimedia work is divided among eight well-known Rumi poems, each expressing aspects of a lover’s journey from ecstasy and loss to acceptance and wisdom. Aminikia, dressed in handsome traditional robes, reads each poem with a strong, engaging voice from a podium placed on the far edge of the stage at Moody Performance Auditorium.

Sam Brukhman, Verdigris artistic director and conductor of the four-member string orchestra in the pit, collaborates with Joy Bollinger—artistic director and choreographer for Bruce Wood Dance Dallas—to reimagine the production first performed two years ago. The earthy, ecstatic dancers bring a compelling, literally moving dimension to the lover’s words. Like the English romantic poet William Blake, Rumi considered “the human form divine” a concrete expression of the creator’s love.

Visual artist Sara Baumann’s stunning three-dimensional images, made enormous in Courtney Ware’s projections, also enhance the production. In the opening piece, a huge red dove flies above the 15 dancers in flowing flesh-colored costumes, swaying and whirling as the 16 singers (dressed in black) form a line behind them, and fill the hall with their richly harmonic voices.

In another scene, a child’s red paper airplane rises over the dancers, now playing tag and dancing with one another like kids on a playground. In the closing piece, the dancers weave between the singers as a huge red poppy blooms open behind them, and then gradually crumbles to nothing—as the dramatic lighting, designed by Christopher Mount, slowly fades to dark.

Each song and dance is a complete, gem-like work. Together they form a lovely jewel revealing the bright facets of the poet’s experience of physical love in a world that is both achingly beautiful and tragically brief.

After the show, Brukhman told me that he plans another Verdigris production this fall. In the meantime he hopes to take this show on tour. “Over a thousand people attended these three performances, and that means it is having quite an impact,” he said.

Friends I talked with in the lobby agreed. After seeing SHAMS, you want to go home and dance in celebration of just being alive. That’s quite an impact, too.

WHEN: May 23-25, 2025
WHERE: Moody Performance Hall, Dallas
WEB: verdigrismusic.org