Edith Belcher went to a performance of the Whirling Dervishes:
The beginning is given to utter silence-maybe five minutes. Then the singing goes on maybe for ten minutes. Finally the dancers bend low to the floor and remove their brown cloaks to display a white skirt costume with a white, bolero-like jacket. All this while the dancers are kneeling on the floor and as certain words are uttered, whether by the balcony men or the sheik who takes over, they touch their heads to the floor. The dancing begins now, preceded by a slow walk around the circle with the sheik leading, and as they approach the mat on which the sheik had knelt, they face each other and bow and continue their way. After three minutes or so of this, the sheik retakes his place on the mat, the dancers go by and kiss his hand and begin to whirl.