Karachi seen among fog

German choreographers' dance presentation uses the city as a metaphor to comment on prevaling radicalism

KARACHI:

Before the headline performance, students of the National Academy of Performing Arts (Napa) presented a 10-minute musical play about how a young girl arrives in Karachi with aspirations of making it big in the city of lights. But her dreams are quickly shattered when she witnesses the dark side of the city for the first time.

The brief play, although not directly related to the main presentation, Among Fog, ended up serving as a precursor to the dance collaboration between Napa graduates and German choreographers Brigel Gjoka and Mattia Gandini.

Among Fog explores the dark side of Karachi to comment on the prevaling radicalism in the society. Directed and choreographed by Brigel Gjoka, the performance employed the techniques of contemporary dance to touch upon issues of class divide present within the city.



While talking to The Express Tribune, Zain Ahmed, artistic director of Napa Repertory Theatre, termed the play as a ‘true collaboration’ between the students of Napa and German choreographers.

“The technique, effects, creation, packaging and the choreography that you see on stage are all German, the content is all Pakistani,” told Ahmed.

Among Fog opens with a man in his mid-20s, played by Vajdaan Shah, rushing onto the stage and then reminiscing about a dream, but his monologue is cut short when the stage is transformed into the setting of an aristocratic party. The elite can be seen indulging in dance, music and heavy drinking before dispersing when an ordinary man arrives on a motorcycle.

“If you look closely, the performance is about desire and not being able to fulfill that desire. For instance, look at the party and the waiter in it and how the elite consider him to be beneath them. This becomes most evident when the bike rider arrives and the elite go into a frenzy.”

“Basically, it shows the class divide and the ‘other’ person, which we fail to recognise as our own and equal,” added Ahmed.

The party sequence is then succeeded by the appearance of another, relatively older man, played by Syed M Jamil. The two main dancers Shah and Jamil serve as an alter-ego for one another. When one of the dancers essays the role of a person from the lower class, the other becomes his alter-ego and vice versa.

One of the most gripping sequences of the performance is in the middle of the play where, barring Joshinder Chaggar, the remainder of the cast is positioned beneath the plastic. The plastic, when placed upon the dancers, is a metaphor for how people are being forced to live in a stifling environment, something which residents of this city are gradually growing accustomed to.

The performance has gained more relevance, given that one of the primary initiatives of the festival is to revive the trend of live performances in the city of Karachi.

Graduates of Napa, who had been preparing for this performance since as early as December, put on a remarkable show with audiences describing the performance as “The Equus of this year’s festival.” The Equus was a play, which is considered as the magnum opus of the previous editions of the event.

Among Fog which was initially slated to be performed only on March 14 and March 15, has received an additional show and will now also be performed on March 20.

The cast for the play comprises Shabana Hasan, Masood Rehman, Erum Ero, Joshinder Chaggar, Haris Khan and Hazrat Zuhair Raza.

Published in The Express Tribune, March  18^th,  2015.

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