The Mastery of Movement

Puppetry is one of the most ancient forms of entertainment in the world. This visual art form seeks to explore themes and emotions and is used for conveying meaningful messages. A whole saga can be narrated through inanimate objects manipulated by humans. Over the years, puppetry has developed into a powerful medium of communication. It least restricted in its form, design, color and movement and at the same time least expensive of all animated visual art forms.

The term puppet has originated from the Anglo-Norman word ‘Poppe’ which means ‘doll’. A Puppet is a handmade doll of cloth that represents various objects like people, animals or forms. Puppet making is done with materials like straw, cotton, rags, sponge, wood, etc depending on the required effects. There exists a number if varieties of the puppets such as finger puppet, hand or glove puppet, sock puppet, rod puppet, marionette of string puppet, shadow puppet and human puppet. The most famous puppets in Pakistan are human puppets. In this art form, puppeteers make the puppets move like a real actor or character. One or more puppeteers coordinate and make them perform on a song or story. The puppeteer has the option whether be visible to public or be hidden. It’s just like a theatre play where various puppet characters play different roles.

The art of puppetry in sub-continent dates back to 5 B.C which mostly involved historic themes, folk lore, tales of kings and princes. With the passage of time it has shifted its focus on providing the entertainment to the people as well as disseminating the message for the social developmental communication.

In Pakistan, puppetry is locally called ‘Putli Tamasha’. The much oldest form in Pakistan is the one performed with string by the puppeteers who make a makeshift stage in the rural areas with propped up beds. This art flows in family from generation to generation. The concept of Nomad puppeteers who move from place to place entertaining various communities is popular in this region.

Uncle Sargam has by far being the most popular puppet ever. Puppetry existed in villages but Uncle Sargam by Farooq Qaiser took it to a next level. Kalian was the most popular Urdu program for children and teenagers. Haiga, Noni Pa and Maasi Museebatay and Rola were acclaimed all over the country.

Rafi Peer Theater has been doing remarkable job in puppetry and along with other arts. The Peerzada family took bold steps to revive this art. Rafi Peer Theater is recognized as one of the major agents for reviving and keeping puppetry alive in Pakistan. Their services for the recognition of this art to the masses through various forums, utilizing for the purposes of social development will always be acknowledged and appreciated.

To Uplift the Soul...

“In necessary things - unity; in doubtful things - liberty; in all things - charity”

Nothing could describe more aptly the need of dance today, than Richard Baxter's words as quoted above.

Unity, tolerance, a healthy competition and above all a collective vision seems to be the need of the hour. Dance has been part of nature from the resurgence of life.  It has slowly evolved from mere expressions of joy and sorrow to celebration of life.

Dance has been an integral part of subcontinent. Traditionally dance, music and drama are deeply intertwined elements that lead the spectators towards knowledge and wisdom.

"To uplift the soul to realms above..."

(Bharata's Natyashastra)

Dances are not just an entertainment but signify celebrations and are ceremonial in nature for multilingual, multi-ethnic and multicultural Pakistan. Soon after independence, Madame Azurie moved from Bombay to Karachi and paired up with Rafi Anwar, another dancer who had migrated from Bombay, to present wonderful duet performances. At the same time ‘Bulbul Academy’ and ‘Rhythmic Art Centre’ was set up in Karachi. In the 1950s and 60s, Karachi had many bars and night clubs where dancers would come from abroad to perform. The government felt that the young state needed positive promotion which could be done through Performing Arts. So in 1966, the PIA Arts Academy was set up with Mehr Nigar Masroor as its director and choreographer.

During 1970s and 1980s, the whole scenario changed. Dancing was banned by the government, Art Councils were disbanded, the ‘Bulbul Academy’, ‘Rhythmic Arts Centre’ and the ‘Nazrul Academy’ were closed down, women were banned on stage and a number of artists including renowned Kathak dancer Naheed Siddiqui moved abroad. The very first program that was banned on PTV by General Zia ul Haq was 'Payal,' a dance program.

Nighat Chaudhary

Some dancers who later emerged were Nighat Chaudry, Fasih ur Rahman and Tehreema Mitha. Nighat and Fasih are Kathak students of Ghulam Hussain and Tehreema, daughter of Indu Mitha, is a Bharatanatyam dancer. These artists appeared on different kinds of stages and were widely acknowledged. They modernized this art and took it to a new level. They have always represented themselves as educated, respectable people who have excelled in this field and have made their mark internationally. Naheed Siddiqui is holder of Pride of Performance (1994), Recipient of the Solidarity of Pakistan Award, Pakistan National Council for the Arts Critical Appreciation Award and Nigar Award for Excellence in Performing Arts. Tehreema Mitha is a global name in this art. She poises herself and feels free of worldly restrictions performing on the notions of death and loss. Sheema kirmani another well-known personality, acknowledged for her refined sensibility and subtlety and for her perfection in stagecraft. Nighat Chaudhry, another jewel in the crown of classical dance has choreographed and performed her own pieces nationally and internationally.

While watching the emotionally charged classical contemporary items one wonders who the performers are that display the imaginative expressions inspired by writers like Faiz Ahmed Faiz Bulleh Shah or Rumi. These performers are neither Americans nor English. They belong to Pakistan.

The major forms of dance practiced in Pakistan are

KATHAK dance is popular in almost every part of the world. Although it is majorly performed in Pakistan and India, it has its fan following worldwide. Kathak has been derived from ‘Katha’ meaning story.

It is utterly classy and apt knowledge of art is required for it. It has its own specifically designed steps that are executed very technically, artistically and delicately. The facial expressions, movements of feet, hands and body, use of eyes and language of gestures are done skillfully. The dancers are dressed in bright colored ‘Angrakha’ or Anarkali frock. Tabla and ghungroo is an essential part of Kathak.

Maharaja Kathak (late), Nighat Choudhary and Naheed Siddique are the most prominent Kathak dancing figures who made their name internationally.

SAMMI is a folk Punjabi dance performed mainly by the women. It is a slow dance having the slower movements accompanied by the sad song – describing about the tragic love saga of Princess Sammi and Prince Dhola.

In this dance, the dancers make a circle standing and swinging their hands by bringing them up from the sides making the clap. By making the repetitions, the dancers bend forward and making the clapping again and then go round and round in the circle. This dance is performed without any kind of music behind. The dancers wear the colored kurtas and lehengas.

KIKLI happens to be the dance that is performed by the young girls in the province of Punjab. In Kikli, the young girls sing songs for the long life of their males. The girls get their arms crossed; hands joined together, fingers interlocked and whirl till they feel dizzy and drop.

LUDDI is widely popular in Punjab. It is a popular feature of wedding celebrations and is usually performed by women. They make a circle, clap the hands and snap the fingers moving the short jumps and half turns and then making the dance steps on the beats of the dholak.

KAFIR DANCE originated from Kalash Valley. It depicts love of nature. The girls wear their traditional beaded black dress, put their arms in arms and then sway to the rhythm of flute, ‘tumbruk’ and ‘dhol’. The dance is accompanied by the sad songs in loud that refer to the injustice done to the residents of Kalash.

DHAMAL is performed by the dancer when he or she is usually in the state of ecstasy. This dance is performed on the occasion of Urs of the Sufi saints at their shrines. The ones who do Dhamal are devotees or disciples of the saints. It is accompanied by a ‘Qawali’, ‘dhol’ and ‘shehnai’.

GIDDA is a famous folk dance of the province of Punjab. In this form of dance, the girls and women gather and make the circle to dance while clapping their hands and rendering the small couplets. The girls wear the traditional costume like shalwar kameez or lehenga.

KHATTAK: The Khattak dance of the legendary Khyber Pass is performed by tribesmen. It celebrates the valor of the Pakhtoons. One of the most powerful of the regional dances, Khattak requires great stamina and vigor.

JHOOMER: The Sindhi Jhoomer dance is performed by village girls to celebrate the time of harvest. The dancers make the circle around the drummer clap and swirl on the beats of the drum. A popular Jhoomer dance song is ‘Ho Jammalo’.

BHANGRA is another popular dance form in Punjab that signifies color and vigor. It is said to be rooted in the soil. It is performed on the beat of ‘dhol’ or drum especially at the time of harvest.

DANDIA is a Sindhi stick dance. The boys and girls swing sticks in hand with an interesting rhythm of clap on the beat of drum.

LEVA: The traditional Leva danced by men are a common feature at weddings and other happy occasions in the tribal society of the Baluchis.

BHARATANATYAM has a geometric quality both in its form and in its spatial choreography.

ODISSI is a rhythmical, swaying, lyrical and powerful dance.

MANIPURI is known for lyrical grace, lightness of tread and delicacy of hand gestures.

DO CHAPI is a typical Balochi men’s dance.It is performed with hand clapping based on varying rhythmic patterns.

A fundamental requirement for the development dance in particular is complete freedom of expression and thought. Arts can only exist in a society that is tolerant of opposing opinions and open to questioning on every aspect of life. Unfortunately this is made impossible in Pakistan, not only by the censorship imposed by state for its own reasons, but also because of the intolerant attitude of the people. Any divergence from traditionally held beliefs or expression of an idea brings with it the threat of physical violence.

The roots of the problem may lie in the nature of the state and the society. The Pakistani State since its inception has had problems with the question of identity and the heritage that belongs to the sub-continent.

Sheema Kermani says, “I was the only dancer who continued dancing in spite of the ban. I had learned originally from the Ghanshyams and then gone to India and studied Bharatanatyam from Leela Samson, Odissi from Guru Mayadhaur Raut and Aloka Pannikar and Kathak from Ram Mohan, all renowned gurus in Delhi. I returned to Pakistan in 1983 and then stayed on in Pakistan, teaching, choreographing and performing.”

A No Objection Certificate (NOC) must be obtained before performing on public stages but the process in Pakistan is long and tortuous that requires standing in queues in government offices for police clearances, excise stamps, papers etc. Government support and recognition remain negligible. Only a few dancers continue to teach and perform at various schools in Karachi.

Sheema Kermani

Sheema adds, “Dance is 'officially' still banned - we do perform in auditoriums but we are cautious and try not to advertise too much, and yes, we perform at corporate shows and at cultural centers like Alliance Francaise and Goethe Institute and sometimes in halls and hotels where we have to take especial permission. Off and on there have been efforts at Dance Festivals but they are infrequent and few - I also regularly hold shows for myself and my students and organize dance and theatre festivals in Karachi.”

Since 2000, Rafi Peer Dance and Theatre Festival used to take place in Lahore, where a couple of times some international dancers and groups had come and performed. But for the last three years it has not taken place due to security reasons and lack of financial support. The contemporary dancers have tried to reassert their presence in the cultural arena. They have made their country proud by representing their art globally and being recognized. Still much work remains to restore dance in Pakistan to the status of a flourishing art. The initial steps need to be taken so that there is rapid succession bringing recognition to Pakistan.

Event Review: 26th World Performing Arts Festival - Lahore

Around the world in 11 days

By Afia Mansoor

It was that time of the year again when performers from all over the world come to visit Pakistan at the most prestigious Arts Festival of the country. The 26th World Performing Arts Festival held by the Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop (RPTW) in collaboration with Telenor for a second consecutive year has certainly come a long way.

The great showcase of theatre, music, dance, puppetry and cinema enthralled people from all walks of life from November 22 to December 2 at the Alhamra Cultural Complex, Lahore. This year it was certainly an uphill task to arrange such an event with international performers, considering the state of affairs in the country and the forbidding travel advisories for participants who wanted to come down to Pakistan.

Nevertheless some 21 countries participated with some 350 foreign delegates and 300 local participants to present a fabulous mélange of performing arts. The credit goes to the organisers for providing a delightful feast of international arts so that it felt by the end that one had actually been to a trip round the world through exotic countries and cultures.

The opening night was held two days before the event was opened for the general public and inaugurated by the Governor Punjab. It was a night to present a colourful summary of the highlights over the next 11 days. Bushra Ansari and Sajid Hasan played the hosts while performers Nighat Chaudhry, Ali Zafar, Roxen’s Mustafa Zahid, Saeen Zahoor, Punjtani Dholiyaas and Annie Princess swayed the crowd. Atif Aslam also came but enjoyed Ali Zafar’s singing while sitting in the common crowd.

This year Usman Peerzada, the CEO of RPTW announced that the organisation would take the festival to other major cities as the Sufi Music Festival was also organised to a highly appreciative audience in Karachi early this year.

Some glitches at the festival were experienced as the performances schedule kept being updated till the last day as some international groups could not make it due to security and visa concerns. Also, some performances were disturbed by noise from other performances in the nearby camps which, according to the RPTW, was unavoidable due to space constriction at the venue since an event of this scale needed a bigger venue.

Music: Eleven concerts were held each night according to a different theme. The Folk Night saw performances by, among others, an ever vivacious Arif Lohar, Saeen Zahoor who has quite a huge fan following with urbanised youngsters now, Krishan Lal Bheel and Zarsaanga. The World Music Nights had performances by many artistes from around the world including the Caravan Quartet from France which performed gypsy jazz, Peter Pankee from Germany who is a world music wizard and Hildeguun the Banjo player from Norway.

The Ghazal Night was a treat for lovers of the softer genre with Tina Sani being the show stealer. The Pop Night was a full house with a string of performers including Abrarul Haq, Roxen’s Mustafa, Annie Princess and Ukraines pop diva Kaamaliya. It was Abrar, however, who stole the show from right under Kamaaliya’s pretty nose with his hour-long live performance. The Rock Night was another showstopper with a teeming crowd of youngsters who thronged to see Ali Azmat and Atif Aslam apart from Roxen, The Call and Overload.

Theatre: Twenty-one groups of theatre performed this year including five each from India and Pakistan and the rest from countries such as Austria, Netherlands, Canada, UK, Romania and many more.

Some outstanding plays included the Nati Binodini by Theatre and Television Associates India. The play is about Binodini who is born into a brothel and is sent off to learn dance and song by her mother to keep the kitchen fire burning. She ends up in the Bengal Theatre and is mentored by her Manager Girish Ghosh to become a fine actress at a time when women hardly came into the profession.

The play traces her arduous journey where she can’t completely get rid of her past and ultimately has to sacrifice her love and live to the cause of good theatre. The play was unique as the life of Binodini is narrated by her older self and enacted by four women in parts depicting her youth.

Despite its running time of two hours, Nati Binodini never lost its compelling grip over the audience. It received a standing ovation on the first night of its performance.

Troubadour by the Phoenixplayers of India was a play that described itself as an original collage voicing the beauty and truth of the Rumi’s stories and verse. It was also a tribute to the storytellers of ancient times called Tarabdaars who sang, danced and talked about the ‘Beloved’.

Jesus: The Guantanamo Years by the Irish comedian and columnist Abie Philbin Bowman was an hour-long play where Abie played the part of Jesus Christ who returns to Earth as a comedian and lands up at the Guantanamo Bay prison. Abie engaged the audience in a scathing, sarcastic and witty commentary on Al-Qaeda, Christianity, The Guantanamo prison guards and Monty Python the comedian; ripping each apart to pieces. The play’s content had adult strains and was blasphemous towards Christianity which sure shook my sensibilities to a good measure. However some of his jokes including those about the dumbness of the prison guards on terrorism were hilarious as Abie said, “When the guard brought me breakfast in the prison one day and I took it he said… you’re the only one who isn’t on a hunger strike today. I told him it’s Ramadan.”

Abie apologised at the end for any offense he caused with his script saying he believed life and religion should never be taken too seriously and that the bright side to things should always be kept in perspective hence the reference to Guantanamo Bay; one of the most depressing places on Earth.

Coppercity 1001 by the Editta Braun Company was a performance by artistes from Austria, Germany, Slovenia, France and Jordan. Watching this mime-cum-puppet-cum-drama performance was a uniquely surreal experience. So dexterous were the performers that their show was a spellbinding sequence of artistry. The story was about a copper city whose citizens are accursed due to their prejudices. The story is narrated by Shehrezade from the Arabian Nights and is a symbolic comment at societal hypocrisies.

The Pakistani offerings that received full audiences included RPTW’s Patay Khan. The play was a musical narrative from the court of King Akbar and had aplenty innuendoes towards the socio-political happenings in the country. It was greatly enjoyed by people from all ages. Salman Shahid’s BrownBread Theatre presented two short plays by the name of Glad Tidings and Abdullah; the former, written by Bilal Hassan Minto was a humorous and ironic story of a woman who wants to escape repressive elements like the Lal Masjid brigade. The latter was a comic play about a wealthy family and their religious old servant.

Puppetry: Nine puppet groups performed at the festival including six international entries from Germany, Italy, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Netherlands and Sri Lanka. The highlights of the puppet performances included The Smallest Woman on Earth by Krepsko from Czechoslovakia. The story was about a woman who falls in love with a man who has a fetish for small women and aims to find the smallest one that ever existed. The human character of the play metamorphoses into a smaller and smaller woman to finally become a tiny string puppet yet her love remains unfulfilled. The props and the ambience of the play seemed to transport one straight to a magical world where illusions became real.

HerzKasper by Florian Feisal of Germany was a funny story about a fearless puppet called Kasper who is not frightened of anything and saves his friend Zap from a ghost, the devil and a crocodile. The way Florian handled two puppets and delivered his own part as well left the children speechless. He was particularly skillful while inside the giant crocodile’s tummy that he maneuvered himself.

Bulgarias Pro Rodopi Art Centre presented The Chick with a Trick about a hen who lays a bonbon instead of an egg. Panicked, she goes to her friends the duck, the doctor, and the king but they’re all busy with their own troubles and in the end she realises that there’s nothing wrong in being different. The performer, Desislava Mincheva, played all the characters skillfully and threw candies at the children in the end for which she was applauded generously.

The local performances included skits by the RPTW, Pakistan National Council of Arts, Lahore Arts Council and the folk puppeteers from rural Punjab.

Dance: Seven dance performances were held of which Joana De Soza from Canada, Sharmistha Mukherjee from India and our own Fasih-ur-Rehman and Nighat Chaudhary presented Kathak. Wahaab Shah with his entourage performed a variety of dancing skills ranging from the contemporary hip hop to acrobatic rhythm. However, at the opening night of the festival one felt that Wahab’s troupe could have improved with their synchronisation.

Compagnie Drift from Switzerland performed a one-hour dance-cum-mime production titled Unkaputtbar (Indestructible) which was a treat to watch. Four huge, air-filled white plastic dominoes formed the backdrop. They were translucent enough to reflect the changing colour of the lights to reflect a changing mood of the performance. The four-man group performed acrobatic intermezzos very skillfully, keeping all riveted.

Cinema: Fifty films from various countries were screened during the festival and acclaimed Indian art film directors Govind Nihalani and Anwar Jamal attended the festival. The RPTW also arranged a producer’s meet to facilitate a discussion of Pakistani film-makers with the Indian counterparts.

Courtesy: pakstop.com

Ajoka Theater at its Best

"Amrika Chalo"

(Destination USA)

 
Written & Directed by: Shahid Nadeem
A Serious Comedy
Sometimes there are national or international issues which become so serious and sensitive, that they have to be addressed through satire. “Amrika Chalo- Destination USA” is a satirical response to the love-hate relationship between Pakistan and US. We hate the US policies but many of us would love to visit US or even settle there. We have serious reservations about US policy towards Muslim world, the military interventions, domination, “do more” demands, drone attacks… the list is long and unending. For the visible and invisible policy-makers, it is a question of national interest and geopolitics but there are others including the so-called “Ghairat Brigade” for whom every thing which is wrong can be conveniently attributed to the US. On the other hand the American values of liberty, freedom and morality are too often contradicted by its high-ended imperialist policies. But “Amrika Chalo” is not a polemical play about international politics or US-Pak relations. It is a light-hearted self-critical view of our double standards and hypocrisies and is a lot of fun too. The location of the play is the visa section of the US Embassy where a number of applicants for US visa have gathered for interviews. They include a businessman, a would-be illegal immigrant, a student, an artist, a mullah, a politician and aged parents of a Pakistani-American US resident. Their reasons for visiting the land of opportunity range from seeking refuge to selling samosas and as expected, they are put through a grilling process of interrogation and security checks. And then a group of unexpected and undesirable visitors arrive…
The play has been written and directed by Shahid Nadeem. M. Aslam has composed the music and Wahab Shah has done the choreography. 

Courtesy: Ajoka.org.pk

'Illaj-e-Zid Dastyaab Hai'

When it comes to theater  William Shakespeare’s impact on literature, culture, art, theater and film can never be underestimated. Hence, theater veteran Naveed Shahzad took up the task of directing and attempting to recreate the Shakespearean comedy “Taming of the Shrew” in Urdu.  After facing many financial uncertainties the curtain was finally raised on Ilaaj-e-Zid Dastyab Hai on 25th and the 26th of May 2012. 

‘Ilaaje Zid Dastiyaab Hay’ is an amazing interpretation of Shakespeare’s play, which consists of some of the most distinguished actors and actresses of Pakistan; Omair Rana, Nadia Jamil, Salman Shahid, Zeb Bangash, Osman Khalid Butt and Maria Khan among others. The play is produced by Susannah Harris Wilson and directed by Haissam Hussain. The music and background score was provided by the much-acclaimed ‘Mikaal Hassan Band’.

One could not have asked for more; the magnificent cast and dream crew could not have been more ideal. Lucentio becomes Kazim (Umer Naru) who arrives in Lahore in his quest for knowledge. But he soon falls in love with Bina (Karen David). It is the “Shrew”, the ziddi Kiran (Nadia Jamil), Bina’s older sister that their father Bashir (Salman Shahid) must marry off first in accordance with the traditions of a feudal society. And it will take a chauvinistic and arrogant Rustam (Omair Rana) to cure Kiran of her zid, to tame her by the forcefulness and assertiveness of his personality. This play showed that neither men nor women need to bow down in front of each other. Rustam decides to marry Kiran if he is given money for it but when woman does the same, she is looked down upon. The play showed that in society, women are expected to conform to certain values and morals. She is shown jealous towards Bina. It was basically more frustration that she might never find a husband.

Nadia Jamil had an amazing stage presence and body language.  She was successful in showing a strong willed woman where her character transformed from a shrew to someone who conforms to the society roles. “Nadia is to theater as duck is to water,” says Susannah Harris Wilson, in utter and sheer awe for Nadia Jamil.

“Nadia’s not only a passionate and a committed professional actress, but she is also the best actress in the country right now, and one of the only actresses I know who has been trained and worked professionally in theater  She is perfect,” remarks Haissam Hussain. 

Omair Rana is a not a new name in the theater industry, his acting was exceptional. He performed with full enthusiasm and gave a strong competition to all his fellow actors. “Omair Rana is made a big difference by offering so much to the play with his immense talent,” says Susannah Harris Wilson. The treatment Rustam khan does with Kiran highlights the point that a woman has no choice but to obey to the rules and regulations of her husband or the society. Kiran’s speech in the end was worth a standing ovation which showed that after compliance to her husband Kiran’s true spirit remains. 

Osman Khalid Butt is an extremely talented young actor who is literally the ‘who’s who’ of Lahore theater scene and has been keeping it alive by his sheer passion for art. He played the rich charming guy however there were slapstick and unnecessary jokes in his role. Hamza kamal was another great actor whose acting impressed many. The play was translated and adapted by Aamna Kaul, Mariam Pasha and Zaibun Pasha. Overall the expression, movement and voice-throw; the key hallmarks of theater were finely tuned. The tireless work of the team, the vigor and zeal bore fruit and ‘Taming of the Shrew’ became widely popular in Pakistan. The project was also presented at The Globe Theater for the International Shakespeare Festival.