A busy year ahead for Joshinder Chaggar

‘Downward Dog’ and ‘Conversations 2016’ make a busy year for Joshinder Chaggar

KARACHI:

For Joshinder Chaggar or ‘Josh’, dancing comes easy. Over the years, she has garnered quite a reputation as one of Karachi’s leading dancers and choreographers. But, unsurprisingly, there is much more to her art than just dance.

While dancing is and will remain Chaggar’s first love, it is acting and theatre that has truly attracted her ever since she moved to Pakistan back in 2007. An art enthusiast through and through, Chaggar is relishing the new wave of multi-cultural activities taking place in Karachi nowadays. “I am simply loving the vibrant scene in Karachi — and not just in terms of entertainment,” she shared with The Express Tribune. “There is so much going on here, from Sunday farmer’s markets and cycling to yoga and meditation classes! As an artist, I have attended so many great workshops this year and learned so much that I feel blessed.”

The dancing guru recalls a time when she was at a loss for things to do in the city. “The number of festivals just keeps increasing,” added Chaggar. “Ever since I worked on Where is the Apple? with Amin Gulgee, I have been introduced to the performing arts sphere of Karachi — a world I love being a part of. I feel there is a wonderful collective energy in young artists of film, theatre, music and fine art. They are eager to learn and explore. It’s simply beautiful.”



Chaggar is confident that this cultural shift will continue to soar in the coming years. “Films have already picked up and everyone seems to be writing a script, shooting or acting in one,” she claimed. “Same is the case with theatre as there are more plays being done than there are venues! This was primarily the reason why we came up with the idea of drawing room theatre for The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?”

Banking on this, Chaggar is extremely excited to put her plans for 2016 into motion. “This year, I’m planning on doing the contemporary dance drama, Conversations 2016, again and have already started gathering creative material for it,” she informed. “I really enjoyed the progression from our 2010 show to the one I did in 2013 and hope to challenge myself and my dancers with the new one as well.” Chaggar and her crew will also be bringing the yet to be released feature film, Downward Dog, to the fore. “Besides these, we’ll be staging The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? as well. Perhaps we’ll continue to stage the play throughout 2016.”



On a personal front, Chaggar is hoping to incorporate more travelling, cooking and reading into her life, provided that her hectic schedule allows it. She has opted to continue with her solo works as well, along with a screenplay she has been working on since 2014. “I will be continuing with my silent show, She Flies with the Swallows. Currently, I am on 22 performances but plan to take it up to a 100,” said Chaggar. “I’ve also finally finished the screenplay of a dance drama [like my shows] and am about to start pre-production for it. It is going to be a very busy year.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 2^nd, 2016.

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