We Must Dance…

IDD

World dance day or International Dance Day is celebrated annually on 29th April. It is a part of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to promote dance as an art form, to raise awareness of the importance of dance in society, and to encourage governments, organizations, and individuals to support the art of dance.

In Pakistan, I was the first dancer who started celebrating this day, almost forty years ago. In 1983 classical dance on stage by women had been banned and all those who practiced this art form had left the country. I was the only dancer in Pakistan for the next decade. On 29th April every year I would mark the day with performances, with myself and my students performing, or I would organize a lecture demonstration on dance so that more people would get aware about this amazing art form.

However today, the future of classical dance in Pakistan seems very pale. We know that fundamentalist elements are gaining more power consider the art of dance sinful and against our culture and religion. There are no names of international or national consequence in these fields that can be revered and respected. Dance and music as art forms are not part of the educational curriculum and are not considered subjects of respect to be studied or practiced. The practice of these arts have changed over generations in such a manner that instead of cultivating and developing emotional sensitivity, Pakistani culture in the form of dance and music now produces emotional insensitivity in such a negative direction that Pakistani society, especially the youth, has become emotionally insensitive, irresponsible and uncivilized. This is the decline and crisis in the culture of Pakistan, and the perverse tendencies it is generating in Pakistani society. It is the consequence of erasing and forgetting the historical heritage that these folk arts were meant for the growth and development of humanity and not for the sake of just immediate entertainment. They were meant to serve the needs, issues, and growth of the higher human emotional and intellectual processes, so as to increase the quality of human life.

Whenever a society is in the throes of deterioration, just as Pakistan is at present, then its government, economics, social institutions, the minds and emotions of its citizens also degenerate and consequently its art also degenerates or dies. So what is happening is the death of the cultural traditions in the present times and what is needed is to move towards how to resurrect traditions to become a living, effective medium of emotional communication and expression so that it can lead to the revival of the human thoughts and sensitivities of Pakistani people. The culture of all the people of this region must be celebrated and represented; there cannot be a singular identity or culture. In more ways than one the suppression of people’s rights and the suppression of their culture are interlinked. People’s identities are defined by their culture which in turn is shaped by so much more than simply religion. Pakistan needs to acknowledge that it is a diverse society and unless it becomes inclusive it will be difficult for the state to ever create a cohesive national Pakistani culture.

The problem perhaps lies with the fact that dance is not looked as an academic discipline and with no education at the school level, students do not develop the scientific approach or even basic curiosity about the how’s and why’s of this art. There are very few students who actually seriously probe these issues.

I use the opportunity of celebrating International Dance Day to advertise dance and to speak about it and through this to speak about the status of women in our society. I believe that early Indus Valley traditions held equality for the sexes, while today women are subject to all kinds of domination. I am a traditionalist who believes in human freedom and I think that dance has an inherent potential to provide us with this freedom, at the same time it teaches us love for beauty, love for life, love for expression.

An interesting genre of dance practiced in Pakistan is what may be called devotional dancing known as Dhamaal. This form has been practiced, since long, both by men and women at the mazaarsand shrines of Sufi saints. Many of these Sufis were themselves dancers – Mevlana Rumi who created the dance of the Whirling Dervishes; Ameer Khusrau, who created the musical genre of Qaul or Qawali sang and danced at the grave of his Pir Nizamuddin Auliya; Bulleh Shah, Madhu Lal Hussain, Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai and Bhagat Kunwar Ram were all dancers, and at whose shrines the public still dance and sing.

In Feb 2017, hundreds of devotees of the most revered saint of the land of Sindh, Lal Shahbaz Qalandar were targeted by the fundamentalists. This was an attempt to stifle the voices which have always stood for pluralism and inter-faith harmony in our society. The devotees at the Dargah at Sehwan Sharif don’t belong to any specific religion, caste, or creed; they are united in their message of love and non-violence, shunning extremism and hatred against everyone.

I believe that there is an urgent need to promote messages of love, peace, and inclusiveness for all sections of the society. We all, the concerned civil society organizations, social activists, and local media, need to sit together and propose whatever arrangements and measures are required to fully secure, protect, and facilitate values ​​of tolerance, diversity, pluralism and inclusivity in our society. I urge us all to join hands in order to preserve the beautiful inclusive character of the land of Sindh that always denounced sentiments of bigotry, extremism, hatred in any form and against anyone. I will continue to visit major shrines, ashrams and other such places to dance the Dhamaal and to promote the true message of love and harmony through the art of dancing.

As the human body and mind are inter-related dancing furthers the emotional, cognitive and physical integration of the individual. It helps in relieving stress, building confidence, self-esteem and teaches healthy choices in life. It keeps the mind active and the body healthy. We must teach our traditional arts of dance and music to our youth to move them away from aggression, violence and gun culture. Teach these arts, practice these arts and include these arts in our formal learning curricula of schools and colleges so that the goals of a civil society can be brought closer. We must teach dance to our girls so that they find confidence and dignity in their bodies – then only will we be on the right track. Because, as Albert Einstein famously said, “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” It is of special importance for women as it helps us to strengthen our spine, stand up with confidence and gives us an inner power and dignity in our body and being. I would encourage all people to dance – dance to free yourself from bondage, dance to free yourself from oppression, dance simply to be free!

Sheema Kermani is a classical dancer, choreographer, teacher, theater practitioner, and peace and women’s rights activist. She is also the founder of Tehrik-e-Niswan – a Cultural Action Group which uses the medium of theater and performing arts to bring awareness on human rights issues.