KARACHI: Saturday evening in Karachi held no respite from the humidity, yet hundreds of people still trickled in at the Arts Council for an open air theatre hosting various dance performances under the banner, ‘Raqs Mei Hai Sara Jahan’. The purpose was to “dance away difference”, and the free for all event brought together performances from veterans in the industry, introducing newbies as well as dance groups from around the country.

The first performance was a classical dance of the Bharatanatyam called Pushpanjali which also means offering of flowers with folded hands. The dance was by the director and organiser of the event, Suhaee Abro. The dance was a welcoming and a salutation which was a teaser into what the show had to offer.

A trained classical dancer and performing for almost 25 years, Munawar Chao danced to a part of the Bharatanatyam which was a devotional piece expressing the dancer’s love for his creator. The dance and the verses sung to it, had references to the cosmic relation between the stars and the love felt. Both of Chao’s performances were classical devotional dances that kept on building momentum, giving the audience a glimpse of his superior dance movements which has led him to perform in countries like India, Germany and Sri Lanka.

Farrukh Darbar’s Kathak performance was much appreciated by the audience. Kathak is one of the eight forms of Indian classical dance and originates from northern India and it involves narrating a story through dance. Darbar, along with his talented student Asif Jameel, used doves as props and had everyone in the crowd enthralled. Care, however, should have been taken to make sure that the sound system was fully functional. Not only did it have a slight metallic sharpness to it, but a few dances were distrupted because of it malfunctioning, though thankfully before they began .

Nighat Chaodhry is a name automatically associated with Kathak dance. Having performed across the world, Chaodhry commands respect and many in the crowd eagerly awaited her performance.

Her first was a homage to Hazrat Ali, with a range of forceful linear movements, and immediately followed by a dance performance expressing the divine and eternal love between Heer and Ranjha. Playing both the characters, Chaodhry’s impeccably dance movements and footwork, alongside her apt facial expressions was a mesmerising experience.

Then followed Abro’s duet with Cyril James which was a modern dance on Berlin-based composer Nils Frahm’s piano performance of his song, “Said and Done”. Modern dance, as explained by the host, broke away from the rigid discipline of classical dance and the event was a mesh between the two different yet connected kinds.

Two dance groups had flown in from Lahore to entertain the audience. One was headed by Adnan Jahangir and their chakkar dance was a soulful expression of the love of God. The purpose behind the dance was to use the movement of the body, as well as the soul to unite and connect with the powers that be. Though the first performance of the group left much to be desired, their last one was almost flawless. However, it was Wahab Shah’s team that was a definite crowd pleaser. With a more contemporary take on devotional poetry, Shah and his group danced a more upbeat tune to the Sufi verses of Rumi, Baba Bulleh Shah and Shahbaz Qalander. The bright costumes, the whirling dance, and a theatrical take on the dervaish lifestyle had the crowd on their feet. Their last performance, based on the popular song Jugni was given a standing ovation, though it was by no means their strongest performance.

The Balochi dance group right at the end had attracted a large gathering and from the moment they came on stage, had the crowd swaying and cheering. They performed the traditional dance Do Chapo in which a group of people form a circle while dancing and clapping. The dance was presented in a dramatic style on one of Faiz Baloch’s folk songs and enacted the trajectory of a young man, from the stage of falling in love, till he is married to his beloved.

The crowd was overwhelming, but there was no sense of insecurity and the event proceeded without any glitch. Credit should be given to the organisers for arranging a large team of volunteers to steer the crowd without inconveniencing others.

As for the dance performers, apart from experienced dancers that included Chaodhry, Abro, Chao, Darbar and Shah, the other dancers need to work on their facial expressions while dancing. Granted it is a tough job performing in front of a crowd and that too in stiffling weather, but the dance movements many a times lacked impact because of this shortcoming.