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A celebration of dance
Colours, qawwalis and ghazals tracing the history of the subcontinent, mixed with beautiful dance performances conceived, choreographed and directed by Sheema Kermani, make Aaj rung hai a delightful evening of scintillating dances based on the evolution of Kathak in the Mughal darbars.
This classical Kathak ballet pays homage to the poets, musicians and performers who helped in making this beautiful style of dance. Devoted entirely to Kathak, the performance traces how this particular style evolved during the time of the Mughals, whose patronage of the arts and literature caused a renaissance in the subcontinent. Kathak, an already established traditional dance form, acquired in the darbars a greater grace and a certain dignity which, when punctuated with the ghazals, thumris, and qawwalis of sufi saints, ushered into it a new level of finesse.
The journey was translated into an hour-long performance by the PNCA’s dance troupe led by Sheema Kermani, held specially for the press. Previously trained for folk dancing, this troupe has had a year’s intensive training in classical dance. Accompanied by renowned musicians playing the sarangi, harmonium, sitar, flute, tabla, violin, shehnai and the pakhawaj, the ballet was divided into segments based on themes depicting thoughts, moods or situations supplemented by thumris, ghazals, bhajans and qawwalis.
Salaami, the traditional greeting, paying tribute to the emperor, started off the dance extravaganza with energetic dances and lightning pirouettes in a superbly synchronized piece by males dressed as court jesters. This was followed by the lilting Basant-Bahar with female dancers dressed in the traditional peshwas. Rich colours dominated this portrayal of the arrival of spring. The advent of spring played a major role in the lives of the people of the subcontinent, all of whom celebrated it with great joy, and it is this same spirit of jubilation that the dancers expressed in Basant-Bahar with couples dancing joyfully in an almost trance-like fashion.
A strongly evocative yet subtle dance set to a bhajan was performed by Sheema Kermani. The fusion of Hindu and Islamic thought and philosophy was explored in the poetry of Meerabai, a Rajput princess. The devotional nature and the mystical words of the bhajan are brilliantly depicted through the precise movements and facial expressions of the solo dancer.
The main part of the ballet Aaj rung hai was based on the sublime words of Amir Khusrau’s earliest qawwali. The qawwali, tabla and the sitar were the creations of Khusrau. This ballet was inspired by the trance/dance of the sufi dervishes that Khusrau himself indulged in at the grave of his mentor, Nizamuddin Aulia, and thus, the entire segment was an homage to this late 13th and early 14th century mathematician, diplomat and saint. Brilliant footwork and abstract body movements characterized it. A tarana, also evolved by Khusrau, followed. The tarana was the first musical form that characterized a non-spiritual and secular feeling of pleasure. The fast rhythmic movements of the dancers and their joyful expressions conveyed the exact feeling of ecstasy in this segment. The effect of the selected music when coupled with the intricately choreographed dances was such that the audience is left visibly moved.
In the thumri Aae na baalam and the ghazal by Bahadur Shah Zafar, Sheema performed Abhinaya or expressional dance. She brought forth her experience and acting capabilities to enhance beautifully the mood and emotion of the pieces.
The grand finale in teen-taal along with rapid chakkars, footwork, facial expressions and hand movements was set to another beautiful tarana by Amir Khusrau. Rhythm and tantalizing pauses dominated this grand ending and brought the entire performance to a powerful climatic crescendo.
The colourful dances were richly supplemented by the authentic costumes, which did much to help in the portrayal of the era. From the ostentatious feathers in the head caps to the dresses worn by the court jesters, the costumes showcased a realistic view and gave the audience a true portrayal of a time when the darbars echoed with music and the sound of payals.
Sheema Kermani said the idea behind the performance was to try to eliminate the taboo attached with all forms of dance and to make people aware of the fact that expressing joy, love, life and even devotion by dance was a part of our history and tradition. The ultimate goal was to work towards the creation of a cultural identity for ourselves based on our rich heritage and also, to evolve our own particular classical dance forms. An evening combining history, culture and age old traditions — the director and dancers will have a hard time outdoing this performance being held at the FTC on the 23rd and 24th of February.
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