Dance fest: Classical dancers spellbind, sway audience

Adnan Jahangir, Shayma Syed, Navtej Johar, Naheed Siddiqui spellbind audience.

ISLAMABAD: On December 15, five internationally acclaimed artists spellbound Islamabad’s audience by performing various forms of classical dance at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts’ packed to capacity auditorium.

The two-day International Dance Festival has been organised by Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop in collaboration with the Norwegian Embassy.

Navtej Johar, a Bharat Natyam exponent and leading choreographer from India mesmerised the audience with one of the richest and the most difficult classical dance forms as he swayed to a beat portraying the tale of Minakshi (fish-eyed Hindu godess), originating from South India.

Johar is proud of his Punjabi heritage. “Nahid and I bring a Punjabi sensitivity to our performances,” he said. He was trained in Bharata Natyam in Chennai, India, and also studied methodologies of dance scholarship at the Department of Performance Studies, New York University.

Bharata Natyam is the most popular form of classical dance, known for its grace, purity, tenderness and sculpturesque poses.

Naheed Siddiqui also turned with grace and complete control along with Navtej and dazzled the crowd with a beautiful blend of Bharata Natyam and Kathak.

Siddiqui started dancing in 1971 and learnt Kathak dance from Mahraj Ghulam Hussain.

“Dance is the poetry of human limbs and Kathak is related with the alignment of the human body and soul,” said Naheed.

The show ended with Shahrokh Moshkin Ghalam’s power-packed performance, a fusion of theatrical and interpreted dance moves ranging from Sema (Sufi whirling) to belly and break dance.

Ghalam is an Iranian dancer who graduated in history of art and theatre from Paris University. His teammates on the bagpipe and flute danced along and received standing ovations twice. “I have invented my own fusion of all forms of dancing. I learnt dance in Japan, the Middle East and France,” he told The Express Tribune.

Adnan Jahangir gracefully stamped his feet and twirled to the rhythm of his ghungroo.

A dancer, performer and choreographer, who graduated from the National College of Arts, moved with zest his body in perfect sync with the music, posture upright, showcasing the true essence of a live Kathak performance. Jahangir also teaches classical dance, mainly Kathak, at various schools and has also performed on television.

Shayma Syed, another Pakistani classical dance performer, studied choreography and modern dance at Brunel University. Shayma’s composed and elegant moves held the audience spellbound till the end of her performance.

She has previously performed for the American Dance Festival, Joy of Motion and has been part of several other performances in Amsterdam. Upon moving to Pakistan, Shayma trained under Nighat Chaudhry and Sheema Kirmani.

“It was a marvellous show,” said Mustafa, one of the audience members. Islamabad should host more events featuring national and international artists to provide the much-needed relief to its entertainment-starved people, he added.

“This is the second time we’re bringing the international dance festival to Islamabad,” said Usman Pirzada, chief executive of Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop.

Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop, found in 1974, has been hosting events pertaining to performing and visual arts as well as international cross cultural events for over three decades now.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 17^th, 2014.