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ISLAMABAD, July 25 The brilliant performance by a 13-member Egyptian folk dance troupe at Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) ended about ten years of cultural isolation between the two countries.
Incidentally, the show also celebrated the National Day of Egypt.
The Al Tannoura Troupe performed on a bright stage lit by powerful lights fading into red sometimes with the dancers breaking into boisterous youth-oriented steps.The two-hour performance mixed instrumental music with gimmicks and fanfare of three whirling and swirling male dancers, performing excitedly with careful steps just like ballet.
Only folk musical instruments including cymbals, daf, rabbab, rek (drum) and shehnai were used by six musicians dressed in snow white Abayas, an everyday Arabian dress.
Two central figures wore black robes. They were the narrators chanting lyrical poetry in the form of zikr and praises of Allah Almighty and veneration for the holy Prophet (peace be upon him). As six of the artists broke into music, the dancers surrounded them.
Noting that the group was travelling to Pakistan, the folk lore group perhaps had tailored its agenda for a Muslim nation. The group brought an ensemble of all male artists. The absence of female artists was hardly felt because of the changing tempo of dance variations.
At the end, the three dancers with their colourful tannoura canopies walked into the auditorium to keep the audience glued to their seats. Meanwhile, a number of Egyptian enthusiasts went up to dance western steps that seemed odd with the flavour of the folk lore on the stage.
Swaggering in his green costume and brilliant colour skirt (called tannoura), the chief dancer, Ahmad, stole the show with his power of endurance, twirling his skirt and shaking his body and head in tremendous gyration. The feat would be equal to the dancing dervish at Hazrat Jalaluddin Rumi's shrine at Konya in Turkey.
Earlier, the PNCA group of four musicians presented Pakistani instrumental music reproducing the song of Nusrat Fateh Ali's popular numbers Ali/Ali and Pakistan. While the Pakistani performed on rubbab and tabla, an element of fusion was brought in with the addition of keyboard and violin.
Egyptian Ambassador Magdy Amer praised the show presented by his country's folk troupe, and said it was wrong that there was a gap of ten years in the realm of cultural exchanges between Egypt and Pakistan. If any, this show has ended that isolation. He said he was prepared to bring another troupe with a different flavour if the PNCA was prepared to host it.
“We are willing,” replied PNCA director general Tauqir Nasir, praising the superb performance of the Egyptian group, and also Pakistani artists for an equally entertaining exposition.
Mixed with instrumental music and fanfare, the troupe performed excitedly with careful steps just like ballet.
