A. It was the Art & Science project of the AKU which got me on board.
Q. To understand African music the study of their culture is as important as anything. How did you do it?
A. My mother's side of the family has lived in Nairobi since 1969. I have been there many times since childhood so I am pretty aware of their culture, tradition and music.
Q. African music is very expressive and physical while eastern music is more melody-based. Isn't a fusion of the two a rare experiment?
A. When music is fresh, different and interesting people gradually develop a flair for it. I think that both forms blend nicely together and the outcome is refreshing, as I have been told by many aficionados.
Q. How has your musical affiliation with your counterpart Njane Mugambi fared so far?
A. I met him at Capetown, South Africa, for a similar project in 2008 where we tuned a signature song on the celebrations of 25 years of the AKU Foundation. He has been a wonderful person to work with and with 15 years of experience in music as a composer, clarinetist and teacher, he has a tremendous knowledge. Besides, he is also an academic and his research in ethnomusicology, popular music and culture has earned him worldwide fame.
Q. How did you manage rare African musical instruments?
A. The kind of African music that we have brought is way different than what the local Kenyan music is. It is from their coastal African side, which I found very flexible besides being rhythmic. Coming to the instruments I feel that our music has a lot of accommodating space where these African instruments integrate nicely.
Nighat Chaudhry
Q. How has the Kathak-Masai fusion been for you?
A. Very liberating. It gave me ample space to explore myself further. Performing with Fernando was a pleasant experience and the performance gave us scope for a lot of experimentation, to find out the linking points of the two discrete dances where they could reach a level of harmony.
Q. How did the idea come about?
A. It was Fernando's idea and concept through and through. He approached me through Alliance Francaise and we discussed the key issues of the performance. I was convinced and the performance that you just saw was the outcome of just two days' rehearsals.
Q. How different do you find the two dances?
A. An amalgamation of rhythms and sounds and designed, by default, in a way that it feels like storytelling, besides following certain norms. It also involves some situational improvisations. It is very demanding and challenging. Masai is more vocal, wild and physical.
Q. What do you think a merger of cultures like this could contribute to?
A. It could bring people of two diverse cultures closer. Since it was the first of its kind performance in Pakistan, our focus has been more on trying out, exploring and showing openness. Around four months ago when I did a similar show with Fernando, I arranged for him to meet Mekrani dancers and he found a lot of similarities and showed a keen interest to explore it further.
Q. What was the most interesting part of the show for you as an artiste?
A. The whole of the performance was a combination of fun, joy and celebration from the opening. The whole thing had a distinct flavour and I liked it all. Especially the response of the audience on the performance to the song Allah Hu was very captivating where we presented a tribute to the Creator.
Q. What's keeping you busy these days?
A. I have recently instituted an NGO called National Dance Foundation in Lahore to preserve the dance heritage of our country. At the moment two projects are there that I am dedicating my energy to — the first is Classical Dances of Pakistan (since Partition) and the second is Mountain Dances of Pakistan. We are amassing data and intend to come up with books and documentaries.
