The Art of Sufi Whirling

Sufi whirling is a form of dance performed by women in Pakistan. The movement of the dancer's skirts makes it especially beautiful and interesting. As the dancer twirls, the skirt is sort of lifted into the air by the centripital force of the rotation. But what you get are these odd, gorgeous hypnotic patterns of ripples with peaks and troughs as if there were waves in a fluid moving through the fabric.