0
LAHORE, April 26: Lahore to have a mega dance evening at a hotel on The Mall on April 29 to celebrate the World Dance Day to be organised by the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) in collaboration with the federal information ministry.
Neither the Punjab Council of Arts nor the Lahore Arts Council is holding any event to mark the day.PNCA's National Performing Arts Group, comprising 16 dancers, would perform on the occasion, choreographer of the show and group head Roshan Ara Bokhari told Dawn, adding the group had prepared 10 dances for the night based on various themes.
“The group has some new performances (for the night), besides some of the dances that had been performed nationally and internationally,” Ms Bokhari said.
She told this reporter the NPAG Lahore was formed in 2006 at Shakir Ali Museum, a subsidiary of Islamabad-based PNCA.
She said the group had been performing at various state and official functions held in the country as well as abroad. They had a large and varied repertoire consisting of ballet, classical and folk dances set to Sufi music, she added.
“In keeping with the modern trends the NPAG has also ventured into fusion,” she said, adding the dances would include Kathak, Peacock Dance, Salsa and City Nights. There would also be dances to poetic renditions such as Aaj Rang Hai, Piya Nahi Aye and a dance based on romantic saga from Mughal history – Anarkali, she added.
She said the group was doing full-costume rehearsals for the show, being also participated by luminaries from film and television.
The night would also include a few vocal and instrumental performances by Ustad Shabbir Husain Jhari (tabla) and Ustad Akbar Ali Khan (sitar) and Ijaz Ali Khan (classical singing).
Shakir Ali Museum Director Amena Pataudi said the event was also being held to portray the soft image of the country which, she said, was its 'real image'.
The World Dance Day is celebrated on April 29 every year under the International Dance Council -- an umbrella organisation within Unesco -- striving for increasing awareness about importance of dance among the people, as well as to persuade governments all over the world to provide proper place to dance in all education systems, from primary to higher levels.
