Lahore, considered as the cultural heart of Pakistan is all set to welcome the echoes of ghungroos as the city prepares to host the Lahore Kathak Festival on May 7th and 8th at Alhamra Arts Council, Lahore.
This festival promises more than just a stage for performances as it aims to unite communities and bring people together to build on the legacy of the art form. The festival will feature in-depth panel discussions and interactive workshops such as ‘Thaat’ Workshop by Maan Sayeed and ‘Abhinaya’ workshop by Hammad Rasheed. Seniors artists such as Sheema Kermani and Nighat Chaudary are also part of the festival bringing back the magic and leaving a legacy for younger generations and exhibiting decades of grace, strength, and storytelling to the stage. Lahore’s emerging kathak dancers are also carrying the legacy forward through their brilliant performances, ensuring that the festival is inclusive of every age and level of experience.
It is inviting students and Gurus to engage with the technical and spiritual depths of this dance form.For many in Pakistan the word dance often carries a heavy and sometimes controversial weight. However the Lahore Kathak Festival aims to bring Kathak performances by positioning dance as a calculated artistic movement that aligns with the very motion of the existence. Kathak is one of the major forms of classical dance, finds its roots in the nomadic bards of ancient India known as Kathakars or storytellers. Its evolution is a testament to the shared history of the subcontinent. It began as a devotional practice using facial expressions and gestures to tell stories.While the dance faced periods of public criticism and conservative pushback it remained an act of resistance and a preserved fragment of indigenous identity.
Events like this are also very important for keeping our “living” history alive. Unlike a building or a painting, an art form like Kathak cannot be saved just by taking photos or filming videos. To truly keep it alive, it must be felt and practiced. It is a tradition that has to be passed down directly from a teacher to a student, moving from one generation to the next. If we don’t create spaces for people to learn and perform, these beautiful skills could slowly disappear. By bringing people together, the festival ensures that the knowledge of the past is handed over to the youth, making sure the rhythm of Kathak keeps beating for years to come.
By hosting this festival Lahore is not just showcasing an art form but is challenging the ignorant assumption that classical dance is foreign to our soil. By highlighting our cultural threads woven into Kathak the event serves as a bridge between the sacred and the aesthetic. As the universe continues its eternal dance Lahore invites its citizens to stop being spectators and become part of the rhythm because to move is to be alive.
The core team includes Maan Sayeed and Momina Farooq Khan who are organising this historical festival in Lahore.
