Compared to other arts, why does dance carry the most stigma in Pakistan?
Dance sometimes feels like the stepchild of the other classical art forms considered more ‘acceptable’ — singing and music. While on the surface it would seem that productions that showcase a more western form of dance production, such as in musicals, catch both the audiences’ fancy and the sponsors’ funding, they too are not without their own struggle.
Despite the odds facing dance in this country, the Arts Council recently held a two-day mega event titled the Karachi Dance Festival 2017. It featured performances and panel discussions by over 150 folk, classical and modern dancers from around the country.
“We covered the entire country in this festival,” says the president of the Arts Council, Muhammad Ahmed Shah, adding that the institution has been promoting the arts for the past 64-65 years. Some of the events they’ve previously-hosted include individual or group-based dance performances, but nothing on the scale of the festival. “Folk dancers all the way from Gilgit to Karachi were present. We also included classical dancers and contemporary dancers as well.”
He added, that this time around, they experimented with their line-up to include artists like Horeya Asmat. “She’s an NCA graduate and a student of [the dhol maestro] Goonga Saieen,” relates Shah. “She came in a four-member troupe and performed during our closing ceremony as well.”
Compared to other art forms, dance has always had to struggle to makeits space in the country
“The sad part is that this was the first dance festival in 70 years,” he says, implying that an event of this sort should’ve taken place sooner. “Dance is a very strong part of our culture. We have a very strong heritage of dance in Pakistan. The statue of the Dancing Girl from Mohenjo-Daro is proof that dance existed in our culture even 5,000 years ago. People danced back then, so why not now?”