LAHORE: The gates to gaiety and fun for Lahorites opened at Alhamra Cultural Complex, Qadhafi Stadium, on Thursday as the 13th Youth Performing Arts festival started with great fervour and enthusiasm.

The venue was tastefully decorated with illuminations. The re-introduction of the festival by Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop at Alhamra Cultural Complex after many years brought a flood of good memories to those who have attended all those world performing arts festivals at the same venue.

“Thank God we’re enjoying a cultural festival amidst all those tensions we are all bearing with,” Saima Noor”, a festival visitor commented.

“There were days when we used to enjoy international performances from all corners of the world at the venue during World Performing Arts festivals,” said Rasheed Meraj, another visitor.

The festival organised by Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop with the Royal Norwegian Embassy and the Lahore Arts Council roped in a big crowd of art fanciers.

Lahore Arts Council Executive Director retired Captain Atta Muhammad inaugurated the festival with Peerzadas.
Thursday’s chart of performances had interesting stuff.

Theatrical performance “We are Sinful Women” by the Kinnaird College for Women, though a simple presentation but with some fine acting and theme song of the play taken from PTV’s old play “Teesra Kinara”, was a successful one. The theme song “Kabhi Hum Bhi Khubsoorat Thay” sung by Nayyera Noor when played as the background music of the play, it cast a magical spell on the audience.

The dance night was the major attraction of the festival on Thursday. The Open Air Theatre at the Cultural Complex had some classy illumination. The multicolour spotlights and a wonderful sound system provided the audience a cool space to enjoy dance by young dancers.

Certain dance performances had more a cool effect as the lights on the stage got dim, the effect of a starry sky was certainly panoramic.

The night opened with the performance of students of Scared Heart Convent School. They came up with a cool dance performance to famous Bollywood Sufi number “Kun Faiaukoon”. Lahore Crammer School troupe presented a dance performance to Faiz’s “Tum Aye Ho Na Shab-i-Intazar Guzri Hai”.

Beacon House National University’s collage of dances was received with a great warmth by the audience. Two girls began to dance to a fast Punjabi number followed by a Bollywood oldie and later jumped to a fast western track.

The first night of the festival went great with all those wonderful performances. On Friday( today) the major attraction of the festival would be the music night.

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2014