From the shrines of rural Pakistan to the theatres of urban Edmonton, Shumaila Hemani’s performance of traditional Sufi Islamic poetry has mesmerized many.
“I think this style of singing is really very powerful and brings forward a person’s true self and connects with other people’s deepest selves. I have no other way of explaining what I encounter through my musical performances,” Hemani said.
Hemani is one of 10 artists who will be recognized Monday for enriching Edmonton’s cultural scene during an Edmonton Arts Council event. The artists are receiving the 2015 Cultural Diversity in the Arts award project grants. Seven more artists will receive the Edmonton Artists’ Trust Fund award, a $7,500 grant to encourage artists to stay in Edmonton by offsetting living and working expenses.
Hemani performs three styles of Sufi poetry: khayal, kafi, and waee. The poetry is delivered like a song in what Hemani describes as an “open-throat and chest” style of performance.
Read more at the source: Edmonton Journal
Shumaila Hemani performing for the University of Alberta’s International Week 2014
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