Pakistan’s folk heritage put on display

Islamabad : Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Muhammad Bin Salman was received with beautiful folk dances of Pakistan, prepared by National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage (Lok Virsa), as he arrived at the Prime Minister House on Sunday.

The rich cultures and traditions of Pakistan are represented by the colourful and beautiful folk dances which are an essential form of celebrations across various regions of our country. Lok Virsa brought together glimpses of folk dances from all corners of Pakistan to express the immense joy of the nation at the arrival of Saudi Crown Prince.

These folk dances were presented by indigenous dancers from each region. The performance included “Gatta Ghori Dance” from Multanor Multan Lok Raqs. It is a special folk dance in which dancers dressed as horsemen and dance to the tunes of drums and “Chimta.” The performance was presented by artists Muhammad Sharif, Niaz Ahmed, Allah Ditta, Muhammad Sultan, Muhammad Saleem, Muhammad Hanif, Muhammad Imran, Gul Sher, Zahid Iqbal, Mugammad Ajmal and Muhammad Rafiq.

“Dharee” dance from Jhang was also made part of the cultural show. In this form of dance, men form two or more parties and imitate dance steps to the tunes of loud drum. This performance was presented by artists Muzaffar Hussain, Mumtaz Hussain, Naik Muhammad, Muhammad Nadeem, Jaffar Hayat, Muhammad Riaz, Ghulam Nabi, Ali Raza, Irshad Hussain, Akhtar Abbas and Ali Ahmed.

The performance also included various folk dances from Kashmir. People from the Kashmir valley celebrate joyous occasions with beautiful folk dances. Men and women are dressed up wearing vibrant coloured robes and dance to the tunes of musical instruments. This performance was presented by artists Rustam Ali Lone, Bilal Ahmed, Arbab Rustam, Muhammad Shabbir, Imran Khan, Abdul Basit, Syed Zeeshan Kazmi, Fiza Batool, Nazia Bibi, Sitara Rashid, Anwar Hussain and Shehzad Iqbal Butt.

“Shina dance” represented Gilgit-Baltistan which follows the beat of musical instruments such as “Dadang” (drums) and “Surnai” (a flute-like, pipe shaped instrument). The dance is traditionally performed by men wearing a cap with a Peacock plume at the top.

This performance was presented by artistes Daulat Baig, Manzoor Hussain, Sajjad Ali, Syed Mujtaba Ali, Karar Hussain, Abdul Qadir Ali, Muhammad Shoaib, Syed Warasat Ali Shah andMehtab Ali.

“Leva Dance” represented Balochistan in the cultural performance. Leva - the folk dance of Balochistan, originated in coastal region of Makran. Baloch tribesman celebrate joyous occasion by performing in groups, imitating hand and feet movements. Dancers including Waris Ali, Mashooq Ali, Sher Muhammad, Zulfiqar, Tanveer Ahmed, Pervaiz Ahmed, Arif, Abdullah, Dildar Ali and Sajjad Ali made part of the Baloch group of dancers.

“Shaukat Dholi Party” from Hafizabad, presented the celebration side of Punjab. “Dhol” is the most popular musical instrument of Punjab. Its loud beats accompany many popular dance forms such as Lok Raqs and Dhamaal. Shaukat Dholi and party from Hafizabad exhibit fine craftsmanship in creating music from Dhol and dancing to its tunes at the same time. This performance is presented by artists Shaukat Ali, Amir Shehzad and Allah Ditta.

Colourful “Kalaash folk dance” from Chitral also made part of the performance. “Kalaasha” are an indigenous group of people residing in the Chitral district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The “Kalaash” dance is performed on the beats of major drums. “Kalaasha” place their arms around each other’s shoulders and move in circles to the beat of the drums to hail joys of new season. Artists Shakira Bibi, London Bibi, Zareen Gul, Sania Gul, Gul Naz, Sathro Bibi, Zahir Shah, Rozi Khan, Abdul Jabbar and Amreena performed the famous Kalaash culture through the dance.

Sindhi “Jhoomer” Dance Party from Hyderabad presented the famous “Jhoomer” dance as part of the special cultural show. The Jhoomer dance is particular to Seraiki belt, and parts of Sindh. This performance was presented by artists by Niaz Muhammad, Riaz Hussain, Ajmal Bhel, Ashok Kumar, Muhammad Iqbal, Hussain Bakhsh, Pappoo Bhel and Parkash Bhel.