In the seventeenth century, the ritual musicians of Joujouka served in the court of the sultans of the Alawi dynasty.  The art of these Master Musicians is linked both to Sufi mysticism and to paganism. They play on drums, woodwind and stringed instruments, and flutes.  Over a ritual sequence of several hours, the music develops a hypnotic attraction, which puts musicians and public alike into a trance-like state.  Villagers and outsiders both claim that the music has magical and healing properties.  The healing effect of the music became known in the surrounding villages: the crippled, the mentally ill, the sterile—they all made the pilgrimage to Joujouka.  They hoped that the mystical sounds and the "Baraka" of Sidi Ahmed Sheikh would bring them a rapid recovery.
The Master Musicians of Joujouka
Dialogue with the Islamic World

During the ritual, the musicians first play their repertoire of entertainment, then they play their sacred repertoire.  The followers and the dancers go into trance.  The master musicians play from midnight to seven a series of each song relating to a special spirit. They are the guarantors of the musical tradition.
The Gnawa people story
Mogador, Morrocco

In each of our locations, we have been encouraging the building of musical ensembles.  As much as we still rely on recorded music for our dances, we view it as essential to have skilled musicians participate in the dance rituals.

Our intention is to progressively move towards more live music for our dances, as it is well known that a sacred bond develops between musicians and dancers that greatly enhances the trance potential of a dance ritual.