Freedom of Expression through Bharatanatyam Dance and Laban Techniques
with Amna Mawaz followed by a Q&A about "How She Moves" Register
Still from How She Moves
OCTober 9th 2020 | 10:00 AM PST – 12:00 PM PST
Workshop
Festival Pass Holder: $12 | Non pass holder: $20
Freedom of Expression through Bharatanatyam Dance and Laban Techniques with Amna Mawaz with Q&A
We will be traversing through differing yet similar languages of movement, through the facial or bodily emissions of emotion taught in the classical dance form of Bharatanatyam, as well as through the conscious variation of speed and effort vis-a-vis the Laban technique. We will focus on how to merge movement experimentation with the tools of Bharatanatyam: giving the dancers freedom to explore alternative choreography and story-telling methods. Join Amna Mawaz, Pakistani experimental dancer and political organizer, in a 90-minute workshop, followed by a Q & A with the directors of How She Moves.
PDFF Pass Holder Discount
Get lower prices for the workshop AND experience 60 amazing dance films, documentaries, & quarantine mini films! Festival Passes are sold online.
*You might be asked to show proof of Festival Pass purchase at the workshop check-in to validate discount.
Photo: Saima Salahuddin
About the Artist
Amna Mawaz Khan began her training in at the age of 11 years under the dance legend Indu Mitha. With an emphasis on Bharatanatyam, she has also learnt and explored Kathak, Uday Shankar and Pakistani folk dances.
From 2016 to 2018, Amna was appointed head choreographer and dance instructor of the permanent dance ensemble, the National Performing Arts Group, at the Pakistan National Council of Arts. During this time, she choreographed 3 dance pieces, Barzakh, Situation 101 and Mehergarh with the group ranging from 13 to 22 dancers.
In 2016, Amna attended a short course in choreology and choreography from Trinity Laban Conservatoire in Greenwich, England. She has performed and given workshops across Pakistan as well as in China, America, India, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Amna is a part of the Awami Workers Party, founding member of both Women Democratic Front and Laal Hartaal. She is active in and has organized movements for housing rights, and works on the women’s movement, environmental issues, students, peasants, transgenders, and persecuted religious and ethnic groups.
About the Film “How She Moves”
How She Moves follows the spirited Indu Mitha, a 90-year-old dance teacher, as she prepares for her final dance performance. A minority in both religion and profession, Indu has been teaching the classical Bharatanatyam dance form in Pakistan for sixty years. Though traditionally associated with stories of Hindu deities, under her creative direction, the form has been given a secular and feminist flavor in Pakistan. As two women filmmakers, we were allowed rare access into an otherwise unseen world of women and dance in Pakistan. Through an exploration of the colorful artistry of Indu and her students, we glean insight into culture, identity, and freedom of expression in a country where extremism, nationalism, and suspicion of dance as a legitimate art form push the classical dance towards extinction.
How She Moves will be screening from October 2nd – October 11th. Purchase a Documentary Pass or a Festival Pass to view!