KARACHI: There are many genres of storytelling. Dance is one of them, although in our part of the world, it’s not often treated as one. But on Friday evening at the Arts Council, three extraordinary dancers –– Suhaee Abro, Wahab Shah and Gillian Rhodes –– danced their hearts out to create an atmosphere that was also a story in which none of the characters held back [their feelings].

Yes, the show was called Dance, Heart and Mind with the tagline “let’s dance out all that we hold back”. It was a result or culmination of a three-day dance workshop that internationally renowned artist Abro conducted at the council for more than 40 young boys and girls. So the makers of the show put dance in the same bracket as heart and mind. We all know that the heart is to do with imagination/romance and the mind with pragmatism/logic. Where does dance fit in? That’s the idea. The artists lose themselves in a world where imagination and rationalism merge in ecstasy, and what you get is nothing but a heart-warming combination of rhythm, melody and physical movement.

The first piece of the evening, directed by Abro, involved all those young people who had taken part in the workshop. It was basically about exploring space. By doing so, they also, as the director’s voice from the background suggested, explored themselves. The dancers not only occupied the stage but they also moved around in the aisles among the audience who had turned up to watch their performance in a big number.

The second performance was by Wahab Shah. It was titled Uri Uri Jawan. His movement followed the famous Mann Kunto Maula.

Next up was Suhaee Abro. In the beginning of her act she interacted with two young artists. You could tell that her performance was about longing and search. And when the track to which she danced began (that sounded like a Thari song) the artist came into her own. Her gestures, movements and the way she owned the stage was widely appreciated by the audience.

After that, Wahab Shah was called back on stage. This time he came with two more performers and the song that he chose to express himself was Udi Ja. The crowd liked his act even better than his first one.

The only non-Pakistani artist in the show was Gillian Rhodes from the US. Her stint on stage was quite different from what the audience had so far seen. Her dance came across like a mime show where storytelling was readily noticeable.

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2018