Dance: A Way of Knowing

By: Dur Bibi Ishaque

Every year, University of Karachi (UOK), Karachi, celebrates Student’s Week; a week for students’ entertainments, display of creativity and discovery of hidden potential. In this week, classes are suspended at 11 am.

An event is also organized every year during the Student’s Week, namely “Baloch Fun Fair (BFF)” by Baloch Students Educational Organizations-University of Karachi (BSEO-UOK), a Baloch students based educational institutional in UOK.

Different segments are held, and each year BSEO introduces different Baloch talents. On September 13, 2017, BSEO organized the Baloch Fun Fair Season 5 for Baloch Students where insiders and outsiders were the guests.

Kaifi Khalil, Asim and Adil with Band, Baluchi Classical Music, Baluchi Cultral Do Chapi Dance, and last but not the least, Shabir Baloch’s dance performance were the BFF’s segments.

All talents mesmerized my soul, Kaifi’s romantic voice and Asim and Adil’s Sufi touch of Moula Ali song gave me Goosebumps. Most interesting thing I saw was a 16-year-old boy, Shabir Baloch, danced on different songs. His body was so flexible that my eyes settled on him without blinking for a second.

Shabir Ahmed Baloch lives in Siddique Meetag Malir, Karachi. He is studying in 8th standard and is the youngest kid in his family. He said, “I love Bollywood dance. Dancing is my craze and I am very passionate about dancing. I even exactly do not remember when I decided to select dancing as my career but I had begun practicing since very small age. My society always criticizes me, but my family supports me and respects my talent. I want to make the professional dancing as my identity; I want to become a choreographer.”

He further added, “I never care what people say, even though I do not want to respond their cheap comments because I know what I am doing is different and different is hard to accept. I know whenever I’ll be a professional choreographer, and then the same people who are criticizing me will appreciate my art.

He added, “Dance relaxes me and brings my frustrations out of my mind. Sometimes I feel I know myself through dancing.”
After completion of my education, I want to join Wahab Shah Dance Company—A Pakistan based Dance Company—and will become a professional dancer and a choreographer.

Lastly he said, “I am very hopeful with my talent and I do believe in sentence ‘Disappointment is infidelity’.”

Published in The Balochistan Point on September 15, 2017