Dawn Images

In the hush of a dimly-lit theatre, a group of dancers dressed in white walk in carrying a casket. The stage is awash in blue — cool, melancholic, and otherworldly. A low, mournful melody drifts through the room. Silence leads the procession, broken only by the echoes of their footsteps and the soft wail of the music. It feels less like the start of a performance and more like the start of a bad dream, or perhaps a distant memory, one that you’re trying to forget.

A few minutes into dance theatre production Khwaab at the Arts Council in Karachi and the audience is already brimming with anticipation. From this point on, dialogue takes a backseat and the only way to communicate is movement, rhythm, and expression. Every tilt of the head, every flick of the wrist, every beat of the foot tells the story of grief, love, and loss without uttering a single word.

Theatre is not as popular as film in Pakistan, and dance theatre is even more niche. But to assume it isn’t powerful would be a gross mistake. In 2018, performance artist Mohsin Babar, the brains behind Khwaab came up with the idea to narrate the tale of two lovers who, once separated, are granted a reunion for a single night where they live an entire lifetime. They laugh, play, dance, sing, and revel in each other’s company. But as the first light of dawn breaks, the magic is revealed to be a mere dream.

While that sounds like a lazy resolution at first, it’s Babar’s story execution relayed entirely through four different dance styles — kathak, sufi, contemporary and folk — that stands out. “They say for artists, there’s always a moment, something felt or received, a point that sparks it all,” Babar told Images. “So it was this point when I had a dream.” The 80-minute show features music from vocalists Moiz Ayaz and Wajhi Farooki, as well performances by Babar’s wife Aisha Khan and 11 other dancers.

Babar began his artistic journey in 1998. In Pakistan, he first trained under kathak master Hamid Hussain Shah Jaipuri, followed by guidance from another guru, Shado Maharaj. In 2008, he moved to India, where he studied kathak for three years under Rajendra Ganggani. His journey then took him to Germany in 2012, where he explored contemporary dance styles, elements of which are now visible in his work.

Even though initially conceptualised almost seven years ago, Khwaab did not develop into a full-fledged dance theatre until this year because of a lack of resources. Upon meeting Naween Mangi, founder of the Ali Hasan Mangi Memorial Trust, Babar found the support to bring Khwaab to life with the Trust backing its production.

“I met Mohsin Babar because he’s teaching my daughter kathak, and I was really struck by his artistry,” Mangi told Images. “You read about those true artists who create something and love that process of creation, and yet they don’t get the opportunity because they don’t belong to a certain group.” She noted that breaking through, not just in the arts but across the board, is harder for those from low-income or non-influential backgrounds, as opportunities often go to people with existing access.

“This husband and wife duo, they’re fantastic, and this is their story. Why have they been denied access to produce things like this?” she asked.

Mangi, who also runs a public art hall in Khairo Dero, Larkana, said that even though she was involved in every step of the production, from music composition to the costume designs and rehearsals, the final performance was still “the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.”

Babar and the team performed Khwaab across Sindh in Khairpur, Dadu, Hyderabad, Larkana, Sukkur, and at Alliance Française and Arts Council in Karachi. Speaking of this experience, Babar said, “The amount of love I’ve received there, people lifted me in their arms, carried me on their shoulders, and chanted my name. I’ve been showered with so much affection that I’m still traveling across Sindh. Inshallah, we’ll soon take this beyond Sindh, to the rest of Pakistan.”

His wife and former student, Khan, said the theatre’s last part, kathak in its pure classical form, is an art few people in Pakistan still practice. “We aim to promote kathak, carry it forward, and ensure that Pakistan also gains recognition in this art form,” she added.

Tickets for the upcoming shows in Karachi can be bought online or at the Arts Council counter. The show runs till Sunday, May 4.