Jago Art Centre's tribute to Gaohar Jamil
Dance programme ends
Ershad Kamol
Artistes of Jago Art Centre, one of the leading dance schools of the country, founded by noted dancer Gaohar Jamil in 1959, paid homage to their guru by staging his compositions on May 28 at the National Theatre Stage, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA). The event wrapped up the two-day dance programme arranged by the Department of Production, BSA. Guided by Kanta Jamil and Belayet Hossain Khan, young artistes of the school presented dances composed by Gaohar Jamil between 1954-1980. They performed 10 compositions -- Srodhdhanjoli, Fishing in Shallow Water, Jhumur, The Snake charmers, Hunting by the Garos, Dancing with Tambourine, Murong, Mother's Love, A Village Fair and a scene from the dance drama Shamanyo Khoti. Dancer Kanta Jamil, adviser-director of the Jago Art Centre, who is also the daughter of Gaohar Jamil said, "Gaohar Jamil trained under the legendary dancer Pandit Uday Shankar. Jamil introduced a unique style, which blends elements of Bharat Natyam with our folk dance. The genre is otherwise known as the 'Gowhar Jamil style'. This explains our focus on Bharat Natyam and folk dance." The first composition, Srodhdhanjoli, a semi-classical composition, was a homage to Gaohar Jamil. Fishing in Shallow Water portrayed how men in the villages fish with a simple tool paolo. Choreographed by Goahar Jamil in 1954, Jhumur is a folk dance. Murong and Hunting by the Garos, composed by Jamil in 1976, feature the colourful lifestyles of the ethnic communities -- Murong and Garo. Students also performed a dance based on Tagore's poem Shamanyo Khoti. The other compositions performed at the programme -- The Snake charmers, Dancing with Tambourine, Mother's Love, A Village Fair -- featured the colourful lifestyle of Bengal. Noted dancers Lubna Marium, Sharmila Bandyopadhyaya, Shibly Mohammed and Shamim Ara Nipa spoke on Gaohar Jamil at the programme.
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Artistes of Jago Art Centre (top and bottom) perform at the show. PHOTO: STAR |
