The classical one-act fragment from the legendary Swan Lake ballet marked the opening of the 90-minute spectacular performance by the Istanbul and Izmir State Opera and Ballet from Turkey. The audience sitting in the large lawns of the Turkish embassy in Islamabad enjoyed every bit of the performance as rains in the capital had brought the temperature down, and the mood and the ambience created by the performers was magical. Flashing search light were set up on the sides of the lawns that kept the moths up dancing in the air.
Swan Lake was followed by Babek, ballet in one act, a story of a loving couple, Ismail and Zala, in which the wife dies during childbirth. The story of Ismail and his child was beautifully portrayed in the ballet. Audience specially admired the performance by the child who exhibited extreme flexibility in clinging to her father.
Yoz Dongu (Vicious Circle), was the story of a village wonderer travelling towards a town in search of better life but is weighed down with problems of not having a house or a family in city. Choreographer Oytun Turfanda made the people sitting witness extraordinary talent of the Turkish artists.
The second half of the performance was devoted to opera but it was not just opera alone. In the 14 short pieces, scenes from Turkish folk tales, a collage of opera and ballet punctuated with vibrant singing of duets, dances and polyphonic music, were enjoyed by the audience. The credit of putting the Opera Folklorama, as they called it, together goes to Serdar Yalcin, the director who had come to Pakistan to put the 14 pieces together, one of which was from Black Sea region, home to the Turkish Ambassador. The entire folklorama act had a breezy tempo and the performers exhibited extraordinary range of talent and depth.
After a welcome note by Clive Webster, GM Events of a local hotel Sufia Shahid, introduced the 64 ballerinas, male artists, opera singers and dancers the live orchestra and gave a brief intro about the performances and its stories. Although the gist of the story of the two ballets was also available in a printed paper, the audience did not refer to it and enjoyed the expression by the performers. Later, she invited the man behind the show and its moving spirit — Ambassador of Turkey, Kemal Gur on stage. The Ambassador, giving generous and genuine credit to the organizers, said, “The success of the show can be shared by both the management of Marriott Hotel and the staff of Turkish embassy, who took care of this 64 member troupe, prayed to God for a good weather and the smooth performance.”
The show was a fund-raiser for the earthquake victims and tables were sold to different multi-national companies. Some of the tables were all female tables as well. So much for women empowerment. Sitting just next to one, I could overhear a heated discussion on all the different diet plans that exist on earth. The who’s who ladies of the capital discussed everything and anything from Dr Atkins to Cabbage Soup Diet and All-Vege-Detox Therapy and the Chinese Herbal Tea. If the performance would have been slightly delayed, one could write a book on the pros and cons of each one of them!
Price for sustainability
Getting to the Canadian High Commission in the thunder and rain that lashed Islamabad last week was a Herculean task no doubt. But thanks to the staff of the Canadian High Commission, my car registration number was already on the list and I sailed through the security guards of the Diplomatic Enclave. Once outside the High Commission, I was pleasantly surprised by the (gora) driver who came to my rescue and offered to park my car inside the building.
The reception, hosted by David Collins, High Commissioner of Canada, was to celebrate the US$1 million Alcan Prize for Sustainability awarded to Aga Khan Planning and Building Service, Pakistan, for its efforts to improve housing conditions and water and sanitation facilities in Pakistan. The Alcan Prize will be matched with a US$1 million contribution from Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC) in recognition of Canada’s long-standing support for the work of AKPBS and of Alcan’s Canadian roots, Al-Nashir Jamal, CEO Aga Khan Foundation Pakistan informed the gathering.
“The decision was announced by Princess Zahra Aga Khan, when she received the prize on behalf of the agency in Vancouver earlier this year,” he added. The contribution will be added to the prize, establishing the Fund for the Sustainability of the Built Environment (FSBE), an endowment to leverage further support for the work of AKPBS, Pakistan in reducing seismic vulnerability and improving rural housing, water and sanitation, for communities in Pakistan.
Aga Khan Planning and Building Services, has been working in Pakistan since 1980 to improve the living conditions of the disadvantaged populations. “The two of AKPBS, Pakistan’s programmes cited by the jury included Building and Construction Improvement Programme (BACIP) and the Water and Sanitation Extension Programme, launched in 1997 to reduce the risk of water-borne diseases in the Northern Areas by providing potable water and improving hygiene and sanitation practices,” Hafiz Sherali, Chairman AKPBS, Pakistan added.
The classical one-act fragment from the legendary Swan Lake ballet marked the opening of the 90-minute spectacular performance by the Istanbul and Izmir State Opera and Ballet from Turkey. The audience sitting in the large lawns of the Turkish embassy in Islamabad enjoyed every bit of the performance as rains in the capital had brought the temperature down, and the mood and the ambience created by the performers was magical. Flashing search light were set up on the sides of the lawns that kept the moths up dancing in the air.
