Japanese musical evening: Students dance to traditional tunes

Sing Pakistani folk and sufi songs, perform to traditional beats

ISLAMABAD: Japanese school students sang Pakistani folk and sufi songs along with performances on traditional Japanese drums in a musical evening at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts on Saturday.



The musical performances comprised of Wadaiko (traditional Japanese drums), Japanese and Pakistani songs, and instrumental music. The evening had been organised by the Embassy of Japan in collaboration with PNCA, Islamabad Japanese School, Pakistan-Japan Cultural Association and the Mext Alumni Association of Pakistan.

The show started with kindergarteners, aged between three and six years, from the Islamabad Japanese School dancing to traditional tunes.



The dance performance was followed by Japanese songs presented by Pakistani volunteers studying Japanese in the capital. The band included Katsunori Ashida, the head of public affairs at the Japanese embassy.

In addition to playing Pakistani pop music, Ashida also sang the popular sufi song “Laal meri pat rakhio bhala jhoole laalan”. He then sang the Pushto song “Larsha Pekhawar Ta”.

Later, children from Islamabad Japanese School, aged between seven and 15 years, performed a lively traditional dance to the rhythm of the Wadaiko. Ashida later said that “music has the power to bring people together.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 23^rd, 2016.