Changing the world through actions seems to be the mantra embodied by Engendered. At this year’s Tongues Untied Dance Festival by Engendered, the organization once again showed the world the 
intricacies of gender and sexuality, this time through the medium of dance. With South Asian artists and choreographers from India, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, Canada and the USA, the organization presented a series of breathtaking dance performances, workshops and panel discussions to bring light to human rights, gender inequities, and sexuality in South Asia and its Diaspora.
Dance speaks all languages and transcends borders. The audience can understand the intimate value of each move, each beat of music, as the choreography unfolds in a through provoking sequence in front of them. The Kuchipudi dancers of Kuchipudi Kalanidhi & Kalanidhi dance reached out through the absolute synchronization to tell a story of love. Flexy Studios showed the world that South Asian dance is not just classical and traditional, but groundbreaking. And the UBC Girlz Bhangra team broke any ill-conceived notions that women don’t do bhangra.
Redefining sexuality and the barriers of dance, the Engendered team introduced the audience to Nighat Chaodhry, a Pakistani woman that is inextricably connected to the world of Kathak. In her appearance Nighat noted that while many people in Pakistan are “okay” with dance and even want to learn it, their attitudes change once they are asked to wear “ghungroos.” Her contemporary choreography at Tongues Untied depicted a woman’s struggle to break the barriers of identity. Who is to say what a woman is? What can she do or not do? Must she be categorized as this or that? And in the end, can it not just be enough that she is a woman?
In the same vein of breaking barriers was Fayaaz, also known as Bijli, who captivated us with her voluptuous movements which have provided her with a feverish following in the South Asian LGBT community. Defining herself as a woman trapped in a man’s body, Fayaaz uses her formal and informal training in dance to carve out her own identity in the struggle between the tensions of faith and promiscuity. She noted that as a Muslim she prays, but does not go to the mosque because of ridicule and prolonged glances. The same people that have seen her perform, and cheered her on, at an underground New York City party, would recognize her and avert their eyes. Her dance was a celebration of embracing who you are and who you want to be – in the most glamorous and endearing of ways. Engendered helped showcase Bijli and to show the world that talent can be cultivated in any struggle, not just in the four walls of a formal training.
And, while breaking these barriers, Tongues Untied did another service to the audience: it sparked debate. Should women be doing bhangra instead of ghidda? Was it not to masculine? Should a Pakistani drag queen be representing Muslims? Why not? And, even why are there not more Muslims in the world of art and dance? The commentary went from whispers during performances to do debates at dinners following the intense performances, forcing people to talk about these issues – forcing people to understand the need for change.
As always, the team behind Engendered brought us into a world that captivated us, providing through provoking ideas and intensified emotions. When we walked out, we were enamored by Engendered once again, this time through the medium of dance.
– Benish A. Shah & Sheheryar T. Sardar
