Nighat Chaudhry urges preservation of traditional dance forms

Famed classical dancer commends social media platforms for changing people's attitudes towards art form

KARACHI:

Renowned classical dancer Nighat Chaudhry has welcomed the growing popularity of dance on social media, saying that platforms such as TikTok and Instagram have changed people's attitudes towards the art form and encouraged younger generations to express themselves more openly. However, she stressed that the growing trend should not come at the expense of traditional dance forms and their original techniques.

Chaudhry made these remarks while speaking to the media at the National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA), where she also discussed her upcoming performance scheduled for November 9.

She will perform alongside renowned musician Nigel Bobby, while Saaz Rinda will also give a live performance. The programme will feature a blend of ghazal, thumri, Sufi music and qawwali.

Speaking about the influence of social media, Chaudhry said she was happy to see more young people taking an interest in dance and expressing their creativity through different platforms.

"Dance is life. It is an expression of a human being, regardless of the form it takes," she said, adding that the increasing visibility of dance on social media was a positive development.

However, she expressed concern over the impact of this trend on traditional and classical dance forms, pointing out that every form has its own techniques, principles and traditions that must be respected.

Chaudhry said that artists like her had spent nearly 40 years learning and understanding these art forms, making it difficult to see their techniques and traditions being distorted or overlooked.

She emphasised that dance was not simply about movements but required proper training and an understanding of its technical foundations.

According to Chaudhry, she and other experienced performers have become ambassadors of traditional dance and have a responsibility to preserve its authenticity for future generations.

She added that people from countries including India also approached her through social media for guidance, making it even more important to share accurate knowledge and promote the proper understanding of traditional dance forms.

Nighat Chaudhry studied ballet and contemporary dance; but when she was 14, she met Nahid Siddiqui, one of the greatest Kathak dancers, and began training with her. Inspired to learn the classical forms of her own culture, she abandoned ballet. In order to understand and absorb the nuances of the Indian style, she wished to be closer to its origins; and she moved back to Pakistan. She eventually became a trained Sufi & Mystique Kathak classical dancer and has been active as a professional Kathak dancer for over three decades.

In 1994, she performed Kathak Solo at the FTC auditorium, Karachi, launching her self-choreographed dance work. In 1995, she accompanied then Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto with a cultural troupe to Turkmenistan, London, and the USA, projecting a strong cultural image of Pakistan through her lectures, workshops, and magnificent dance performances. She choreographed and danced, in Larkana, in a ballet evoking the life of the late Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, on the anniversary of his death, and gained tremendous recognition for her outstanding talent. She performed at all the World Performing Arts Festival in Pakistan hosted by Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop, from 1995 to 2013. In 2003, she performed for the Arts Council of Pakistan to promote cultural events for the Music Committee Karachi. In 2004, she performed a Kathak dance at the Kodak-HRD Congress Serena Hotel, Islamabad. In 2005, she choreographed and performed at the Lux Style Awards and TVOne Global launch show.

On 23 March 2005, Pakistan Day, she performed at the Presidency for President Pervez Musharraf. In 2008, she performed at the Pakistan Embassy in Spain, in an event called Qalandarbass, to promote and support Pakistan's cultural diversity.

In 2009, she performed, for the World Population Foundation, an evening called International Mother's Night Islamabad. In 2013, she performed for PC (Pearl-Continental Hotels & Resorts) events in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, and Peshawar, for the promotion of classical dance in Pakistan.