Faizaan Ahab Dance (FAD) remains determined to promote dance and make it more accessible with its dedicated commitment and promising vision of highlighting and reviving its pizazz for every Pakistani through videos and live performances. With frequent and successful dance video releases including Contemporary Bollywood, Traditional Garba and Modern Bhangra, FAD, in collaboration with Olomopolo and FM 91, successfully brought together a profound lineup of local and international choreographers for the third edition of “FAD Features”.
“FAD Features” launched in 2019 and since then has showcased works by various established and emerging choreographers and performers through universally relevant and contextual themes. This years showcase was centered around the idea of the “Metropolitan”, where narratives were built around the idea of what it means to be in a city. The curatorial note explored the home and house as used interchangeably in the city and the idea of home as our anchor no matter where we go.
“We can always find our way back home figuratively and actually. To us city is the people and things in it, the memories of good and bad times, especially the ones we have celebrated together or comforted and supported each other through. The metropolitan for us can be both spiritual or material when there are large distances to be covered and long times to be spent. In a city, we can be home and not have a house if that is the hand dealt to us. The theme explores stories around the city that make our everyday lives,” said Ahab.
The lineup of performers included renowned choreographers including Adnan Jehangir, Gillian Rhodes, Syed Faizaan Ahab and Komal Jamil. Amongst the emerging performers were models Ramla Baig and Akash Mufti. The performances were curated in a way that the first one began with the start of the day for a common man highlighting his daily challenges weaved into a nine to five routine, and culminated with the shenanigans of the night life in the wee hours. Other performances commented on the invisible systems in place in the operations of a big city, the tragic life of a beggar, the dreams, aspirations and delusions of a socialite, a scene from a coffee shop, the romance between college going students and underground talent culture.
The series of performances showcased mastery in lyrical dance, kathak, contemporary dance, bollywood, hip-hop and burlesque. The performances came together with an emotionally stirring and visually stimulating ensemble, commenting on our resilience, or lack thereof, to glide through life on a daily basis in the quagmire of intense social, economic and political turmoil. It also aimed to shift the focus from the macro to the micro, making if more fun, personalised and relatable.
“The idea is very personal. It was inspired by a recent trip to Madrid, where I realized how it is soo easy for an individual to be soo detached from the collective, while being a part of the collective. It is not easy living in a big city. We tend to get caught up in a rut and forget how unique everyone’s story is. It is so important to tell these stories – they can be entertaining, motivating and have profound lessons for everyone. It was so interesting to see how everyone in the lineup came up with a unique narrative and was able to express it through their own genre of dance. The team as incredibly creative and supportive,” said Ahab
“It was so refreshing to perform for an audience in another city,” said Jamil. “I chose a very serious topic for my performance and I did not know what kind of response to expect. But it went really well and fit right into the lineup.” She also added that “it was wonderful working with everyone. The dance community is so talented and such kind of collaboration is key if the industry wants to produce work of international standards.”
Rhodes also agreed saying, “I’m glad FAD was doing such features. It’s nice to have something that’s different for a change.” The show was attended by a diverse audience and multiple age groups. Seen amongst the attendees were music sensation, singer and song writer Abdullah Siddiqui, filmmaker Olivia Qaser and head of Public Diplomacy at the U.S. Consulate in Lahore, Karl Rogers, a former professor of dance and professional dancer.
FAD (formerly FACDS), specialises in Contemporary and Bollywood routines, providing services in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi since the past fifteen years. To its profile, FAD has choreographed over three hundred signature weddings, apart from providing services for Pakistani cinema in films like Janaan, and successful music videos by industry icons like Ali Sethi, Uzair Jaswal and Farhad Humayun. FAD has also ventured into the fashion industry with ramps and campaigns for Fahad Hussayn and Ali Xeeshan and BLK Vogue. It continues to give Contemporary and Bollywood Dance Workshops in partnerships with various studios across the country.