Photography: Fahim Siddiqi/WhiteStar
The state of dance as an industry in this country is precarious at best. But this wasn’t always the case. “Back in the 1950s-60s there were over 50 music and dance schools in Karachi,” relates Shah. “Now you don’t see them. People now teach dance on an individual scale. We don’t have a single institution dedicated to teaching purely dance. But we are promoting this art form. For us, this is a form of resistance.”
Contrary to popular perception, funding for ‘contemporary’ performances hasn’t been easy. “Sponsors are interested in primarily the number of eyeballs,” says Butt. “Theatre cannot compete with a televised show or even film, as sponsors get more mileage for their buck [through those mediums]. Our productions are ‘Big Bang’, so the price tag isn’t cheap.”
“The overall number of productions [that took place] annually have dwindled away in the last few years. So, unless the government doesn’t start introducing subsidies for the theatre industry, we’re pretty much done for. It’s been done for film, it’s critical we do it for theatre now.”
While the government needs to step up with providing grants to the performing arts, there are some positive developments in the horizon. Other than its annual youth, theatre and international Urdu conference, and now the Karachi Dance Festival, the Arts Council will also be hosting an International Culture and Performing Arts Summit in January 2017 – and embedded in this will be an international dance segment. “[The idea behind it is that] it’s connecting people globally through culture,” said Shah. “People are divided by war and the exchange of culture is the remedy because it brings people together.”
It’s been a month since the festival has concluded. Does he feel its managed to make some kind of an impact? “I have received feedback from around the world,” said Shah happily. “From our diplomatic circles. We posted [coverage of the festival] online. Now people can see for themselves — who says Pakistan is an intolerant country?”
Published in Dawn, ICON, July 2nd, 2017