World dance day: Today, tap away your happy feet to the tune of music

Therapy for some, freedom for others, dance is recognised as a powerful, creative outlet.

ISLAMABAD:

Whether you’re a spineless force (think Hrithik Roshan, Micheal Jackson) or have two left feet, you’ve experienced dance in one form or the other.

We tap our feet, drum our fingers and clap to the beat of songs, qawwalis, symphonies and more. Music and dancing play an intrinsic role in our culture- from classical nuances to wedding songs, they are ingrained in the very essence of celebration.

Even outside festivals, classes, or conferences, simply watching a foreign dance on television offers the most striking, appealing and convincing image of another culture. For vivid illustration of cultural diversity and for embodying rapprochement, there is no better means than dance.

Uzair Khan, a thespian from Islamabad, recalls how in college he was part of an inter-racial dance team, and how the group soon became his “family”.

He says, “By relying on the human body as its medium, dance holds a sacred place as the most honest form of human expression. It has the unique ability to bring people together in an intimate way regardless of linguistic barriers.” He added that body language experts believe up to 70 per cent of human communication is non-verbal.

The World Dance Day has been observed annually on April 29 since 1982 and aims to attract public’s attention to the art of dance and to bring people together in peace through the art of dance.

Sundus Jamil, veteran theatre actor finds dance cathartic, “It’s my way of dodging reality. It’s a beautiful way to express your feelings without having to use words.”

Actor and theatre director, Osman Khalid Butt has been dancing for as long as he can remember and feels “uninhibited” by the art he practices every day. His source of inspiration is Bollywood. “I think my passion for the medium is somewhat tied up with the first film I ever saw: Mughal-e-Azam. There was such… poetry in Madhubala’s movement.”

Sheema Kermani, founder Tehrik-e-Niswan and a kathak dancer of international acclaim, said, “Dancing furthers the emotional, cognitive and physical integration of the individual. It keeps the mind active and the body healthy. It is especially important for women as it gives them confidence and an inner power and dignity in their body and being.”

Dance, being a central part of every culture, constitutes an ideal means for bringing together people from different countries. Dance festivals around the world serve as melting pots for different cultures to interact and, perhaps, know more about each other.

So this Friday, loosen up a little and tap those happy feet away to the tune of music.



Published in The Express Tribune, April 29^th, 2011.