Emine Mira Hunter(née Burke)

It can be argued that Mira Hunter has been whirling for most of her life. A visual artist and second-generation sufi mevlevi whirling dervish, she began her traditional training at the age of 16 with her father Raqib Burke and Sheikh Jelaladdin Loras. As a visual artist, she studied at NSCAD and Yale, graduating with a BFA in Interdisciplinary. For the past 10 years she has collaborated with Turkish born, Canadian producer/musician/DJ Mercan Dede, performing at such acclaimed international events as the Montreal Jazz Festival, the Vancouver Folk Festival, the Montreux Jazz Festival and the Paleo Festival. She has toured all over the world, from New York, to London, to Japan. She was recently featured in David Michalek’s Slow Dance project that was exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 2008. Mira continues to challenge the fundamental forms of whirling by incorporating innovative movements and concepts, coaxing the 13th century practice into a contemporary context. She is preparing for an upcoming tour in Switzerland with the avant-garde performance group Stimmhorn. She currently studies Sufism under Sherif Baba Catalkaya and lives and works in Istanbul and Vancouver, BC.

 

>>Click here to see video of Mira Hunter, including excerpts from her recent installation Time Machine

>>Click here to see pictures of Time Machine

 

"Mira (Burke) Hunter, the Vancouver-based dancer who brings a unique, avant-garde spin on the Sufi-inspired tradition of the whirling dervish. Together, they turn in a set that leaves the invitation-only Istanbul gathering breathless."
Mercan Dede and Secret Tribe, Istanbul, 6.30.07
'Looking to Rumi for key to Canada'
Review by Mitch Potter for
EUROPE BUREAU © 2007

"The most popular event on the night of September 2nd, Friday was, without doubt, the concert of Mercan Dede at the Tränenpalast - the Tear Palace, so called as it was the stop that provided access between East Berlin and West Berlin before the fall of the wall. The Canadian dancer who has been working with Mercan Dede for nine years, Emine Mira Burke danced to the music of Mercan Dede Secret Tribe with her neon skirt. - The blow of the night! The 15-year old clarinet player, Aykut Sutoglu was a favorite of the audience with his adorable attitude. The Turkish Ambassador, Mehmet Ali Irtemcelik and the dancers of the Pina Bausch group also watched the concert."
Mercan Dede and Secret Tribe, 02.09.04
'"Simdi Now" that turned Berlin into the contemporary arts platform of Turkey is now over!'
Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts © 2004

"But it was the 'crossover' sounds of a new generation forging ahead into the uncharted territories of Electro World that stole the show. First the delicate Franco-Tunisian project DuOud charmed the delegates. But it was the majestic performance of Turkish ney player and electronic producer Mercan Dede, accompanied by a group of wonderfully skilful musicians and the hypnotically whirling skirts of dancer Mira Burke that provided the grand finale to this year's Womex.
"'Electro World steals the show', Mercan Dede and Secret Tribe at Womex, Germany 10.26.02
Marushka for
Mondomix ©2002

“To get to the heart, the soul, of Mercan Dede, is to see this band live. Just as Sufism has evolved in the Middle East, this Turkish native (and Canadian resident) has undergone a personal transformation leading him to community understanding. He has infused classical elements of the Dervish ceremony – his Muse, the ney (reed flute); tar, dumbek, oudou (drums); santur (zither-like instrument); and dancer, the enchanting, entrancing even, Mira (Hunter) Burke – into a hefty stock of electronic rhythms, creating a hybrid Sufitronica both contemporarily enticing and ritualistically meaningful.” –
‘Ground Beneath Our Feet’
Mercan Dede & Secret Tribe @ Joe's Pub, New York, 7.19.04
Review by Derek Beres for
Global Beat Fusion © 2002