Rabia Christine Brodbeck (born Christine Brodbeck; 28 July 1950) is a Swiss dancer and author. She had an international career as a modern dancer. Since her conversion to Islam in 1986 she has written two spiritual books.

Biography

Brodbeck was born on 28 July 1950 in

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

, Switzerland. She trained in classical ballet and modern dance in London. Brodbeck converted to Islam and became a practitioner of

Sufism Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

, a form of Islamic

mysticism Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute (philosophy), Absolute, but may refer to any kind of Religious ecstasy, ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or Spirituality, spiritual meani ...

, in 1986 after visiting a mosque in New York City. In 1987 she was a performer at the contemporary art exhibition

documenta 8 documenta 8 was the eighth edition of documenta, a quinquennial contemporary art exhibition. It was held between 12 June and 20 September 1987 in Kassel, West Germany. The artistic directors were Manfred Schneckenburger and Edward F. Fry. P ...

Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in North Hesse, northern Hesse, in Central Germany (geography), central Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel (region), Kassel and the d ...

. In October 1990 she performed at the Annual Swiss Dance Festival in New York City, presented by

Danspace Project Danspace Project is a performance venue for contemporary dance. Its performances are held in St. Mark's Church in the East Village area of the Manhattan borough of New York City. History Founded in 1974 by Barbara Dilley, Mary Overlie, and Larr ...

and the

Swiss Institute Contemporary Art New York Swiss Institute / Contemporary Art New York (SI) is an independent non-profit contemporary art organization founded in 1986. SI is located at 38 St. Marks Place, at the corner of Second Avenue, in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan in ...

. She retired from dancing in 1998. She has authored two Islamic spirituality books, ''From the Stage to the Prayer Mat'' in 2012 and ''The Longing of the Soul'' in 2014. Brodbeck lives in Istanbul and works as a dance teacher there.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brodbeck, Christine Living people 1950 births 21st-century Swiss women writers Converts to Islam Modern dancers Sufi writers Swiss female dancers Swiss Sufis Writers from Basel-Stadt