Written by: Areej Ahmed
Posted on: December 23, 2019 | 
| 中文
Kathak Performance by Alaina Roy (photo credits to Osama Rehman)
The Pakistan American Cultural Center (PACC), in collaboration with Kaifwala Foundation, brings us the captivating and enlightening Bunvat International Festival. Kaifwala Foundation was formed by artists Kaif Ghaznavi and Muhammad Zeeshan, and they have been holding Bunvat Festival since 2015. Bunvat is a cultural celebration of all kinds of art forms, music, dance and theatre around the world. The word Bunvat, comes from gesture, welcoming the celebration of talent, art, and humanity. This is the fourth iteration of Bunvat Festival, one geared towards getting the young, energized and digitally active audiences to engage with it.
This year’s Bunvat was a three-day event full of exciting, mesmerizingly beautiful acts across many art forms. The first day, David Brandstaeter, an experimental performing artist from Germany started with a visual performance. He collaborated with Darvesh, a band of ten members, that won the hearts of many at the Pepsi Battle of the Bands. They are known for their unique fusion of Qawwali and Rock, and they performed a piece titled ‘Freedom’, which expressed the joy that comes with living life without constraints or worries.
David Brandstaeter and Darvesh's Collaborative Performance (photo credits to Osama Rehman)
Day two brought out spiritual dances from deep within the Indian Subcontinent. Alaina Roy was a kathak dancer from London, who trained under the guidance of Guru Pali Chandra and Nitesh Saraswat for almost 10 years. “Kathak: Kal se Aaj Tak (Kathak: Yesterday to Today)” was her first solo performance in Karachi; it aimed to raise awareness about the slowly fading, and oft underappreciated eastern classical art form. Another unique and exciting performance were the Japanese Odissi dancers, Mio Ikeda and Keiko Okano. Odissi is one of the eight types of classical dance forms in India, and also one of the oldest surviving dances from that area.
Mio Ikeda dancing the Odissi (photo credits to Osama Rehman)
Mio’s dance type was a Pallavi (Blossoming), which is a multilayered, and multi-tempo dance that engages one’s whole body. She also danced to “Mere Girdhar ke Rang (The Colors of My Lord)”, a spiritual devotional poem written and sung by a Hindu mystic woman named Meerabai. Her movements were exquisitely delicate, and her expression showed her deep connection to the rhythm, which was engrossing to watch. The stage never felt empty, even though she performed alone. Her grace and attire, kept us enchanted throughout that splendid performance.
The second act was a Mohinniatam by Keiko Okano, which was also an Indian classical dance, associated with femininity and grace. It carries soft swaying movements, and places more focus on the “Abhinaya (leading the audience)”, which is the art of expression in Indian aesthetics. The other performance by Keiko was a mohinniatam, with elements called “poli” and “Chandanam” which originate from Kerala. This dance was lively and relatively easier to follow, watching the dancer reveal her story towards spirituality through the mixture of taal and ragas.
Keiko Okano Dancing the Mohinniatam (photo credits to Osama Rehman)
Watching the performances, one only witnesses a facet of the spiritual connection and dedication required to execute these performances. They require years of dedication and support in the art form, in order to make these performances look easy and effortless. They encourage you to not just appreciate their discipline, but also take you on a reflective and spiritual journey through this art form.
Day three started with a play called "Ladies Tailor", written and directed by Samina Nazir. A love story adressing stereotypes and breaking the conventional norms, left the audience in fits of laughter and tears. They featured captivating performance by erum Bashir and hammad Siddiqui did a great job as leads of the play. The day ended with a Qawwali performance by the famous Saami brothers. Qawwali is a popular and beloved art, often associated with Sufism and spirituality. The Saami brothers are a group of six qawwals, who belong to the lineage of Ustaad Naseeruddin Saami, a true master of classical music and ragas. Their practice evolves combining the spiritual works of mystics like Amir Khusro, with eastern musical practices that seek to bring the audience closer to the divine.
Saami Brothers Qawwali
Bunvat has been devoted to highlighting art forms that exist around the world, but are not promoted in this country. They seek to rectify that by showing a variety of old and new cultural performances in an engaging manner. Bunvat does not just promote these arts and artists but also allows them an opportunity to perform for the wider public. Such festivals are a welcome addition to our cultural landscape, because they bring diversity, and delve into our rich, classical heritage of music, dance and theatre.
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