Tehreema floors her audience
From among the dance doyennes of Pakistan, Tehreema Mitha has not been in the limelight as the others despite being superbly skilled at her craft. The reason perhaps could be that she moved to the US 13 years back to start her own dance company, and visits Lahore off and on for teaching purposes and dance tour trips.
A dance performance by the artiste was recently held in association with the Lahore Chitrkar at the Ali Institute of Education, titled A Tribute to Indu Mitha on her 80th Birthday.
It was pleasant to see the event start on time, the well-mannered audience and the highly aesthetic stills of Tehreema and Indu outside the venue and around the stage.
For the typical Pakistani majority that relates dance to filmi sleaze and commoditises women, watching Tehreema could be a tutorial on dance as an art form by a self-assured woman. This was no dainty, painted doll following music with rhythm. She rose above the music, the audience and the ambience to become larger than life with her dance moves. Despite her delicate frame, her henna-dyed hands and adornments, she moved with rhythmic force, exuded energy and was in total command. She spoke her mind through her body movements and it was a treat to see her classical performances of Bharat Natyam and Bhopali Tilana as she followed the vocal chant of the raag with her feet and arms, and the manjira with her neck. The Bharat Natyam was adapted to Pakistani taste and was softer than the full-blown traditional Indian style; for which the credit goes to Indu.
From among the dance doyennes of Pakistan, Tehreema Mitha has not been in the limelight as the others despite being superbly skilled at her craft. The reason perhaps could be that she moved to the US 13 years back to start her own dance company, and visits Lahore off and on for teaching purposes and dance tour trips.
A dance performance by the artiste was recently held in association with the Lahore Chitrkar at the Ali Institute of Education, titled A Tribute to Indu Mitha on her 80th Birthday.
It was pleasant to see the event start on time, the well-mannered audience and the highly aesthetic stills of Tehreema and Indu outside the venue and around the stage.
For the typical Pakistani majority that relates dance to filmi sleaze and commoditises women, watching Tehreema could be a tutorial on dance as an art form by a self-assured woman. This was no dainty, painted doll following music with rhythm. She rose above the music, the audience and the ambience to become larger than life with her dance moves. Despite her delicate frame, her henna-dyed hands and adornments, she moved with rhythmic force, exuded energy and was in total command. She spoke her mind through her body movements and it was a treat to see her classical performances of Bharat Natyam and Bhopali Tilana as she followed the vocal chant of the raag with her feet and arms, and the manjira with her neck. The Bharat Natyam was adapted to Pakistani taste and was softer than the full-blown traditional Indian style; for which the credit goes to Indu.
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