Hips don’t lie

Nighat Chaudhry recently performed at the Arts Council Theatre in Karachi for a SIUT charity on a stage that was set very simply and a microphone facing the floor so as to project the sound of her ghungroos across the hall.

Very soon into the performance, one could see that Nighat’s Kathak and her tatkaar were very basic and not as complex or as masterful as one would expect it to be. However, she did seem to tailor her dance according to the general taste of the audience present. Her Kathak, although incredibly simple, had more hip-shaking than is usually the norm. That, coupled with her swirling dupatta appeared to be rather well appreciated by the audience.

One has to give Nighat credit for keeping a pleasant face throughout her performance, during which four of her students also joined in. At the end of it all, she came on stage and dramatically declared that she was very proud of being a Pakistani. Later, she elaborated why: “The audience was receptive and respectful. They were feeling me instead of judging me. You can pick up those vibes and that’s why I felt proud of being a Pakistani.”

Post performance, one wondered why she chose this particular charity to work with? “I do a lot for charity. I’ve worked with Imran Khan and for the Shaukat Khanam Hospital and SOS. I did my lot for the earthquake victims and their rehabilitation so much so that I gave up dance for three months. But it’s part of my work as an artiste and a person. I’m close to causes like these because you can make this much of a difference; and the only way I can do that is through my art form. There’s nothing better than that. For me to do something like this is more rewarding and emotionally more satisfying.”

Currently involved with dance-related projects with Prime Television and working on conceptualising dance compositions with other organisations, one of them along the themes of Moenjodaro, Nighat feels very strongly about the channels she’s working with: “We say dance is open but when do you see Naheed Siddiqui on television? Where do you see Fasihur Rehman or Sheema Kirmani on TV? I’m doing conceptual work. That’s why people call me up. But what about my ustaad? Why aren’t we giving more room to good quality performances and artistes of high calibre instead of having thumkas and jhatkas?”

Nighat Chaudhry did not start out learning Kathak. During her childhood, she was in London where her parents set her up to learn ballet and contemporary dance at the Laban Centre. She, however, switched to Kathak after watching Naheed Siddiqui, and became enamoured with Naheed’s style, poise and grace as a dancer. Sadly, despite studying with Naheed for over two years and with other great teachers that followed, she hasn’t acquired the qualities that she had set her heart on in the first place. She is a better speaker than a dancer.

First Published:
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November 12th, 2006