User:Anwaar Sheykh M/sandbox

Sheema Kermani: A Cultural Activist, Women’s Rights Activist, Peace Activist, Choreographer, Dance Guru, Theatre Practitioner, Performer, Director, Producer, a famous TV Actor, a famous Classical Dancer of Pakistan and founder of Tehrik-e-Niswan Cultural Action Group (Women’s Movement), Sheema Kermani is based in Karachi, Pakistan. She is a crusader in the field of performing arts in Pakistan. Her contribution to the promotion of culture and theatrical performances since 1978 has been remarkable and she has been a pioneer in bringing the dance and theatre of Pakistan to an international audience and giving it global recognition. Education: Ms Kermani was born on 16 January 1951 in Rawalpindi in an Army family. She received her early education from Presentation Convent Rawalpindi. After doing 'O' Levels from Convent of Jesus and Mary, Karachi she completed her 'A' Levels from Karachi Grammar School and then proceeded to Croydon College of Art, London to study Fine Arts. She holds a degree of Bachelor of Arts from the University of Punjab, Lahore and a Masters and M Phil Degree in History from The University of Karachi where she is presently enrolled for PhD.

When she was 8 years old Sheema started to learn Piano and western classical music, and from the age of 13 she began to learn classical Indian dance from Mr and Mrs Ghanshyam (a couple from Calcutta, who had set up a centre for dance and music in Karachi). She later joined their institute as a member of their staff and performing troupe. Sheema Kermani was the only dancer in Pakistan throughout the years of General Zia- ul- Haq’s Martial Law, when dance was banned and came to be seen as an activity highly disliked by the state and the clergy. She stood up against great odds and continued with her efforts to establish classical dance as an art form and a profound medium of expression and communication Training: After the general elections of 1988 in Pakistan, when Benazir Bhutto came to power, Sheema proceeded to India on an ICCR (Indian Council of Cultural Relations) scholarship to further study classical dance. She was lucky to train with the great gurus of dance in India, Bharatanatyam with Leela Samson, Kathak with Ram Mohan and Odissi with Guru Mayadhar Raut and Aloka Pannikar. Since her return she has been performing and teaching in Karachi and has produced many students who take forward her legacy. Sheema spent many years working as a political activist, training and organising women workers. She brings her political experience and social con¬sciousness with her into the field of performing arts.

Awards: Sheema Kermani has received many national and international awards for her achievements in the field of art and culture. Some of these are: 2005 - Nominated as one of the “1000 Peace Women from across the Globe”, for the Nobel Peace Prize. 2008 - Awarded the Shah Abdul Latif Award by the Ministry of Culture, Sindh, Pakistan 2009 - Awarded “The Courageous Woman Award” by The Pakistan Women Lawyers Association. 2012 - The Peace Star Award by ACHA (Association for Communal Harmony in Asia). 2013 - The Sind Cultural award. 2014 - The Best Actress Award at the Howler, Iraq Theatre International Festival. 2016 - The Life Time Achievement Award by APMC (the All Pakistan Music Conference), Lahore. 2017- The Akhter Hameed Khan Memorial Book Award.

Art Life & Work Details: Sheema has performed in many countries of the world including Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, China, Denmark, Egypt, Erbil, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Iraq, Korea, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, Norway, Sri Lanka, Sweden, UAE, U.K and U.S.A. as well as at many prestigious International Dance and Theatre Festivals. Among her audiences have been personalities such as the Prince of Wales, the Queen of Thailand, the Palestinian revolutionary Leila Khalid, Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. She was the first Pakistani dancer to be invited to the prestigious American Dance Festival’s International Choreographers Workshop in 1989 held at Duke University, North Carolina, USA. In 1997 she was invited to dance at the Hamburg Theatre Festival, and in 1999 and 2005 to the Nandikar Theatre Festival in Calcutta. In 2006 she was invited by CND Paris, France for a presentation on ‘Dance in Pakistan’. Sheema Kermani continues to teach Classical Dance, Theatre, History of Arts and Culture. She is also a television actor. Her first television play was a popular PTV serial Dastak. Her character in another popular serial Chand Girhan made her a celebrity. Her roles have been much admired and she is still remembered for her portrayal of a poor kidnapped Bihari woman. In 1978 she founded ‘Tehrik-e-Niswan’ (TeN: literally The Women’s Movement), a Feminist Cultural Action Group using the medium of performing arts for messages on rights issues and promoting art and culture; and raising awareness on women’s and girls ‘status and rights in Pakistan. ‘Tehrik-e-Niswan’ has produced and directed many theatre productions, translations, adaptations as well as original plays on issues including early marriage, rape, women’s health, education, religious and minority rights and brings political theatre to people of low-income areas and the residents of rural/semi-urban localities These plays bring messages of Peace, Pluralism and Diversity.

Sheema has produced a number of very committed students who are now part of her troupe and perform with her all over the world. Those hundreds of students who have come and gone have at least acquired a brief exposure to an art form that is dying due to hostility from fundamentalist quarters. She also gives many talks, workshops, presentations and lecture demonstrations on the history, significance, beauty and importance of this art form. Her efforts have helped in the awareness and acceptance of classical dance. She has done a great deal of research and written about dance as part of Pakistani culture rooted in the Indus Valley civilisation. This aspect of her work culminated in four major works, a classi-cal ballet called “The Song of Mohenjo-Daro”, a unique experience of song, dance and music stating how dance was and is a part of Pakistan’s cultural heritage; “Aaj Rung Hai”, a tribute to Muslim musicians and dancers; a modern ballet entitled “Indus and Europa”, and “Peace Dreams” which is an attempt at evolving a unique style of her own; and “Raqs Karo”, a Contemporary Dance Performance based on the poetry of Fahmida Riaz, depicting the changing position of woman over the ages. She has also choreographed to Persian, Urdu and English poetry. Some of her famous choreographies have been set to the poems of Ameer Khusrau, Bulleh Shah, Bahadur Shah Zafar, Allama Mohammad Iqbal, Rabindranath Tagore, Sarojini Naidu, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Fahmida Riaz and many others.

Additional Work: •	Sheema worked as Choreographer and Artistic Director at the Pakistan National Performing Arts Group of Pakistan National Council of the Arts, Karachi for five years from 2002 till 2007. •	Artistic Director Tehrik-e-Niswan •	Taught MFA classes (Master of Fine Arts) at National College of Art and Architecture, Karachi. •	Taught courses on “Appreciation of Art” at Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture, Karachi. •	Taught at SZABIST University, Karachi. •	Taught at The Agha Khan University of Medical Science, Karachi. •	Acted in a number of popular plays and serials on Television. •	Directed a number of documentaries, plays, Tele-serials and music videos. •	Researched and choreographed many traditional, folk and classical dances that have been performed all over the world by her troupe. She has had international recognition; her life and work has been written about in ‘The New York Times’, and also been covered by BBC and Al JazeeraTV. In 2016 she was invited to address the United Nations session on ‘Effects of Fundamentalism and Extremism on the Cultural Rights of Women in Pakistan’. She again demonstrated her bravery and courage more recently in 2017, when terrorists bombed the revered Sehwan Sharif shrine of a Sufi Saint. Despite severe security risks, she went there with her team and performed the traditional Dhamaal ritual dance just a few days later. She fearlessly continues to mark the bomb blast anniversary annually, travelling the long distance to the rural Sindh shrine with busloads of peace and human rights activists.

Sheema writes on women, culture and society. She has co-edited two books: 	“Centre Stage” (published by Women Unlimited). 	“Gender, Politics and Performance in South Asia”; (published by OUP) and awarded the Akhtar Hameed Khan Memorial Book Award.

She has represented Pakistan at the International SPIC MACAY Convention in 2014 in Madras, and 2015 in Bombay. She is one of the founding members of Pakistan India Peoples Forum for Peace and Development and the Pakistan Peace Colaition. She works as a Peace Ambassador and is the official spokesperson for Koohi Goth Women’s Hospital, Karachi. She is one of the founding members of the Karachi Aurat March which was started in 2018.

She plans to set up a Cultural Centre where she can teach dance, theater and other Art forms as well as hold regular performances for the general public.

Sheema Kermani
Sheema Kermani: A Cultural Activist, Women’s Rights Activist, Peace Activist, Choreographer, Dance Guru, Theatre Practitioner, Performer, Director, Producer, a famous TV Actor, a famous Classical Dancer of Pakistan and founder of Tehrik-e-Niswan Cultural Action Group (Women’s Movement), Sheema Kermani is based in Karachi, Pakistan. She is a crusader in the field of performing arts in Pakistan. Her contribution to the promotion of culture and theatrical performances since 1978 has been remarkable and she has been a pioneer in bringing the dance and theatre of Pakistan to an international audience and giving it global recognition. Education: Ms Kermani was born on 16 January 1951 in Rawalpindi in an Army family. She received her early education from Presentation Convent Rawalpindi. After doing 'O' Levels from Convent of Jesus and Mary, Karachi she completed her 'A' Levels from Karachi Grammar School and then proceeded to Croydon College of Art, London to study Fine Arts. She holds a degree of Bachelor of Arts from the University of Punjab, Lahore and a Masters and M Phil Degree in History from The University of Karachi where she is presently enrolled for PhD.

When she was 8 years old Sheema started to learn Piano and western classical music, and from the age of 13 she began to learn classical Indian dance from Mr and Mrs Ghanshyam (a couple from Calcutta, who had set up a centre for dance and music in Karachi). She later joined their institute as a member of their staff and performing troupe. Sheema Kermani was the only dancer in Pakistan throughout the years of General Zia- ul- Haq’s Martial Law, when dance was banned and came to be seen as an activity highly disliked by the state and the clergy. She stood up against great odds and continued with her efforts to establish classical dance as an art form and a profound medium of expression and communication Training: After the general elections of 1988 in Pakistan, when Benazir Bhutto came to power, Sheema proceeded to India on an ICCR (Indian Council of Cultural Relations) scholarship to further study classical dance. She was lucky to train with the great gurus of dance in India, Bharatanatyam with Leela Samson, Kathak with Ram Mohan and Odissi with Guru Mayadhar Raut and Aloka Pannikar. Since her return she has been performing and teaching in Karachi and has produced many students who take forward her legacy. Sheema spent many years working as a political activist, training and organising women workers. She brings her political experience and social con¬sciousness with her into the field of performing arts.

Awards: Sheema Kermani has received many national and international awards for her achievements in the field of art and culture. Some of these are: 2005 - Nominated as one of the “1000 Peace Women from across the Globe”, for the Nobel Peace Prize. 2008 - Awarded the Shah Abdul Latif Award by the Ministry of Culture, Sindh, Pakistan 2009 - Awarded “The Courageous Woman Award” by The Pakistan Women Lawyers Association. 2012 - The Peace Star Award by ACHA (Association for Communal Harmony in Asia). 2013 - The Sind Cultural award. 2014 - The Best Actress Award at the Howler, Iraq Theatre International Festival. 2016 - The Life Time Achievement Award by APMC (the All Pakistan Music Conference), Lahore. 2017- The Akhter Hameed Khan Memorial Book Award.

Art Life & Work Details: Sheema has performed in many countries of the world including Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, China, Denmark, Egypt, Erbil, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Iraq, Korea, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, Norway, Sri Lanka, Sweden, UAE, U.K and U.S.A. as well as at many prestigious International Dance and Theatre Festivals. Among her audiences have been personalities such as the Prince of Wales, the Queen of Thailand, the Palestinian revolutionary Leila Khalid, Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. She was the first Pakistani dancer to be invited to the prestigious American Dance Festival’s International Choreographers Workshop in 1989 held at Duke University, North Carolina, USA. In 1997 she was invited to dance at the Hamburg Theatre Festival, and in 1999 and 2005 to the Nandikar Theatre Festival in Calcutta. In 2006 she was invited by CND Paris, France for a presentation on ‘Dance in Pakistan’. Sheema Kermani continues to teach Classical Dance, Theatre, History of Arts and Culture. She is also a television actor. Her first television play was a popular PTV serial Dastak. Her character in another popular serial Chand Girhan made her a celebrity. Her roles have been much admired and she is still remembered for her portrayal of a poor kidnapped Bihari woman. In 1978 she founded ‘Tehrik-e-Niswan’ (TeN: literally The Women’s Movement), a Feminist Cultural Action Group using the medium of performing arts for messages on rights issues and promoting art and culture; and raising awareness on women’s and girls ‘status and rights in Pakistan. ‘Tehrik-e-Niswan’ has produced and directed many theatre productions, translations, adaptations as well as original plays on issues including early marriage, rape, women’s health, education, religious and minority rights and brings political theatre to people of low-income areas and the residents of rural/semi-urban localities These plays bring messages of Peace, Pluralism and Diversity.

Sheema has produced a number of very committed students who are now part of her troupe and perform with her all over the world. Those hundreds of students who have come and gone have at least acquired a brief exposure to an art form that is dying due to hostility from fundamentalist quarters. She also gives many talks, workshops, presentations and lecture demonstrations on the history, significance, beauty and importance of this art form. Her efforts have helped in the awareness and acceptance of classical dance. She has done a great deal of research and written about dance as part of Pakistani culture rooted in the Indus Valley civilisation. This aspect of her work culminated in four major works, a classi-cal ballet called “The Song of Mohenjo-Daro”, a unique experience of song, dance and music stating how dance was and is a part of Pakistan’s cultural heritage; “Aaj Rung Hai”, a tribute to Muslim musicians and dancers; a modern ballet entitled “Indus and Europa”, and “Peace Dreams” which is an attempt at evolving a unique style of her own; and “Raqs Karo”, a Contemporary Dance Performance based on the poetry of Fahmida Riaz, depicting the changing position of woman over the ages. She has also choreographed to Persian, Urdu and English poetry. Some of her famous choreographies have been set to the poems of Ameer Khusrau, Bulleh Shah, Bahadur Shah Zafar, Allama Mohammad Iqbal, Rabindranath Tagore, Sarojini Naidu, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Fahmida Riaz and many others.

Additional Work: •	Sheema worked as Choreographer and Artistic Director at the Pakistan National Performing Arts Group of Pakistan National Council of the Arts, Karachi for five years from 2002 till 2007. •	Artistic Director Tehrik-e-Niswan •	Taught MFA classes (Master of Fine Arts) at National College of Art and Architecture, Karachi. •	Taught courses on “Appreciation of Art” at Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture, Karachi. •	Taught at SZABIST University, Karachi. •	Taught at The Agha Khan University of Medical Science, Karachi. •	Acted in a number of popular plays and serials on Television. •	Directed a number of documentaries, plays, Tele-serials and music videos. •	Researched and choreographed many traditional, folk and classical dances that have been performed all over the world by her troupe. She has had international recognition; her life and work has been written about in ‘The New York Times’, and also been covered by BBC and Al JazeeraTV. In 2016 she was invited to address the United Nations session on ‘Effects of Fundamentalism and Extremism on the Cultural Rights of Women in Pakistan’. She again demonstrated her bravery and courage more recently in 2017, when terrorists bombed the revered Sehwan Sharif shrine of a Sufi Saint. Despite severe security risks, she went there with her team and performed the traditional Dhamaal ritual dance just a few days later. She fearlessly continues to mark the bomb blast anniversary annually, travelling the long distance to the rural Sindh shrine with busloads of peace and human rights activists.

Sheema writes on women, culture and society. She has co-edited two books: 	“Centre Stage” (published by Women Unlimited). 	“Gender, Politics and Performance in South Asia”; (published by OUP) and awarded the Akhtar Hameed Khan Memorial Book Award.

She has represented Pakistan at the International SPIC MACAY Convention in 2014 in Madras, and 2015 in Bombay. She is one of the founding members of Pakistan India Peoples Forum for Peace and Development and the Pakistan Peace Colaition. She works as a Peace Ambassador and is the official spokesperson for Koohi Goth Women’s Hospital, Karachi. She is one of the founding members of the Karachi Aurat March which was started in 2018.

She plans to set up a Cultural Centre where she can teach dance, theater and other Art forms as well as hold regular performances for the general public.