Sheema Kermani - Beena Sarwar

Sheema Kirmani shines through her students. At an evening of classical dance in Karachi on May 24, she performed and showcased the work of sixteen students, ranging from newcomers to experienced dancers. The end of the over-two hour long 'Jugalbandi' that juxtaposed dance styles on one platform, drew sustained applause and a standing ovation from much of the audience filling the Arts Council Auditorium to its 500-strong capacity. It was a moving tribute to young, upcoming dancers -- and most of all, to Sheema Kirmani for her lifelong dedication as a teacher, creativity as a choreographer and as a dancer herself.

The evening began with her six junior-most students, aged eight to eleven, presenting the Manipuri, one of the four major schools of classical dance and the first dance that the Ghanshyams taught their students at their Rhythmic Arts and Yoga Centre that Sheema, then 14, joined when her family moved to Karachi in 1964. Her father, an army officer, insisted that his children learn classical music; her mother pushed her to dance. (Another daughter of an army officer, Tehreema Mitha, also danced professionally for several years in Pakistan before settling in the US. Her mother, the indefatigable Indu Mitha, continues to teach dance in Islamabad). Sheema Kermani - Beena Sarwar
[thanks BS]