Charming Xinjiang: Celebrating Chinese culture with riveting dances and jaw-dropping jugglery

Female dancers sway in perfect harmony with grace and elegance at the event.

KARACHI: When it comes to the portrayal of folk music and dance, one just can’t beat the Chinese. They put so much effort into their presentations, their rich tapestry, their settings and their costumes it would be highly unlikely if anything ever went wrong.

It’s easy to recognise a concert from China - frequently changing lavish sets, a variety of jaw-dropping colourful costumes and designs for young women and men and perfectly manicured dancing. It was all there at the Marquee in the Pearl Continental, Karachi on Dec 7. In a riveting display of ethnic culture presented in front of a wide video screen, a 14-item programme, titled Charming Xinjiang, featured a truly remarkable troupe from the Uygur Autonomous region - the land of enchantment.

Let’s start with the female dancers - a bevy of slim beauties, all of the same height and dressed identically, each with an infectious smile and long dark pigtails which swung in the throbbing rhythm of the drums and symbols. They danced in perfect harmony with grace and elegance, never putting a foot wrong or losing the sense of unity and harmony - the result of years of dedication and meticulous training.  And the men were equally committed and focused. In one of their dances, they dropped to their haunches and then leapt into the air like the Cossacks of the Steppes, whose exploits were steeped in folklore and tales of valour and heroism.

The female dancers at the 14-item programme, titled Charming Xinjiang, never put a foot wrong or lose the sense of unity and harmony. PHOTOS: ATHAR KHAN/EXPRESS

In one number, the girls wore fur caps and there was a remarkable bit of wrist-twisting and subtle neck movements which had a unique subcontinental flavour. China has produced the world’s greatest acrobats and jugglers and the audience held its breath as Mr Gayret tossed sticks into the air at regular intervals and caught them and then suddenly turned his attention to a clutch of rings. In between, a flautist was able to produce shrill sounds resembling a whistle.

Now a word about the singers - the two sopranos had incredible voices and reached the highest register with flawless ease. The three tenors had powerful voices, sang fortissimo and did justice to the melodies of their forefathers.

The programme was organised by the Chinese Consulate General in Karachi. Fortunately, there was no chief guest who inevitably would have delayed the proceedings by at least 45 minutes and put everybody in a bad mood. However, I was most disappointed in the audience - for a full house, their applause at all times was half-hearted and almost grudging. In fact, the only time it came to life was when the tenors sang a couple of Pakistani songs as a gesture of friendship between two strong political allies and around six people clapped.



When Mr Yerhali Nuerzada nearly cracked the chandeliers with his rendering of O Sole Mio, and that too in Italian, I was overwhelmed with emotion and cheered lustily. What tremendous power. What a perfect grip on the words. Had he sung this Neapolitan folk song anywhere in Europe, with a voice not unlike that of the late Mario Lanza, he would have brought the house down. I hope the Chinese government is planning a tour of northern England, for there is no better audience than an English audience when it comes to good entertainment.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 9^th, 2013.