Each poem projects its own distinct mood – humorous, sad, ironic, romantic, tongue-in-cheek, triumphant. I tried to create a work not about the polish and speed of classical Kathak, but about women’s fierce assertion of their selfhood. Patrik, “I was first introduced to WE SINFUL WOMEN while at Columbia University studying Indic languages, and the poems resonated. Protesting the suffocating repression in their physical and emotional lives, these poets courageously wrote with both confrontational anger and ecstatic lyricism. The performance is dedicated to the memory of poet activist Fahmida Riaz (1946 – 2018), whose poems IMAGE and O GOD OF HEAVEN AND EARTH are included in this dance theater piece.Īccording to Ms.

In WE SINFUL WOMEN, Janaki Patrik seeks to give voice, through melody and movement, to the words of the female Urdu poets Ishrat Aafreen, Kishwar Naheed, Zehra Nigah and Fahmida Riaz. This spring The Kathak Ensemble & Friends presented a contemporary dance-theater work WE SINFUL WOMEN based on eight groundbreaking (Pakistani) Urdu poems first published in 1990, WE SINFUL WOMEN was performed at DIXON PLACE, 161A Chrystie Street in Manhattan, with an artist Q/A following the performance.Ĭreated by Kathak Ensemble & Friends Artistic Director Janaki Patrik, the work features six female dancers and original commissioned music by two-time Canadian Grammy winner and composer Kiran Ahluwalia. Past PerformancesĬontemporary Dance With Indo-Pakistani Influenceīased on the Urdu Feminist Poetry CollectionĮight Poems – Six Dancers – Commissioned MusicĭIXON PLACE, 161A Chrystie Street, NYC 10002 Join us on Facebook to stay up to date on upcoming performances! Check out the most recent photos on The Kathak Ensemble’s Facebook Page Please check the classes page for specific news about Kathak technique classes.

We Sinful Women by Rukhsana Ahmad