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| September 30, 2005 | Friday | Sha'aban 25, 1426 |
Turkish ballerinas enthrall audience
ISLAMABAD, Sept 29: Privatization Minister Hafeez Shaikh led the standing ovation given to Ankara State Ballet artistes’ performance that continued at the Turkish embassy lawn till late Wednesday night.
In his appreciation of two acts of ballet, viz My Friend Mediterranean and Beach Oriental, the minister said he was privileged to attend the superb performances that had helped in bringing the peoples of the two countries closer. As he put it, “no two countries are as close to each other as are Pakistan and Turkey.”
Turkish Ambassador Hasan Kemal Gur reciprocated the minister’s gesture, saying the performance by the Turkish State Ballet was one of the several events arranged during the year to commemorate the 85th anniversary of the establishment of Turkish Grand National Assembly. He added that he would organize another programme on November 18 to jointly commemorate the birth anniversaries of Ata Turk and Quaid-i-Azam, founders of two modern Muslim states.
Mr Gur said the ballet artistes had to undergo hard training and they kept on rehearsing their movements for 12 years until they were finally allowed on the stage. Given the intensive training, their performance is bound to be good.
The ambassador also appreciated the work of Volunteer Women’s Organization Chairperson Samina Shah Pirzada, who had worked hard to present the State Ballet’s performance in Islamabad. Earlier, she had sponsored two Russian Bolshoi theatre performances in Pakistan.
The performance by Turkish State Ballet proved the point that classical ballet performances need not necessarily be imported or be a facsimile of ballet presentation seen in Europe or the West.
In fact, the spectators witnessed a modern ballet and popular dances up to date in all departments, including music and dance forms. Even actors and ballerinas donned new costumes — a departure from the usual ballet wardrobe styles particular to Western ballets.
Mehmet Balkan’s choreography was perfect as were the rhythms of Turkish folk music well interpreted by Fahir Atak Oglu and brilliantly fused with tunes composed by Bach, Spanoudakis and Wangelis using piano and other western instruments.
The futuristic visual compositions, created by twisting lights thrown on simple white stage background, heightened the thrill of ballerina’s lyrical mime performance. Their free flowing costumes allowed them an extra freedom while performing.
The spectators, drawn from embassy, counsellor and airline offices as well as local opulent gentry and social workers, held their breath as they marvelled at the artistic touch in the execution of the many adagio, allegro, arabesque, attitudinal, piourette and soubresaut movements of different stages of the ballet.
The presentation was superb and indeed a departure from the old glitzy ballet presentations, in which Mehmet Balkan had synthesized Turkish and western musical idioms and images. In his scheme, Mehmet had brought the village square of the Turkish Mediterranean region into focus.
The first ballet, My Friend in the Mediterranean, was a love story between a Turkish girl and a Greek man, which might perhaps be a symbol of the recent attempts to end the conflict between Turkey and Greece in the present day Cyprus. It ended dramatically on a happy note, foretelling a positive outcome that might be in the offing for the Turkish Cypriots.
The second ballet with a quaint title Beach Oriental portrayed the torments and orgy of human relationship with emphasis placed on emotional harmony between beloveds and suitors. In the act, rapprochement is achieved when the suitor tries to soothe the woman’s scorn, and thus they unite in happy matrimony celebrated by the entire village with mirth and verve again at the village square.
Guests received a number of prizes from Turkish ambassador’s wife Rozan in the end. — Jonaid Iqbal
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