Khattak Dance

Khattak is the name of a swift martial sword-dance of the Khattak tribe of Pashtuns in Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is one of dozens of Pashtun folk dances known as "Atanr". It is not the same as the classical Indian style of dance known as Kathak.

Katthak is danced to fast music featuring the piper clarion and drums beaten with sticks. Up to 40 men dance together wielding swords or handkerchiefs, performing acrobatic feats.

The fast tempo of Khattak distinguishes it from other Atanr which start slow and pick up speed as the dance progresses. Khattak dancers also lack Sanrry, (oily hair grown up to a specific length).

The Khattak dance has three forms, called: Shahdola, Bhangrha and Bulbullah.

The dance comprises a total of 12 steps requiring great skill on the part of the dancers. At one moment the dancer performs solo and the next he must synchronize with the rest of the troupe.

In the Bhangrah every member swirls while carrying swords. The Bhangrah is followed by Derabi. At this stage, two youths, each carrying a sword and a handkerchief, start dancing in front of the man with surnai while the rest of the troupe members wait for their turn. In the Laila, the third step, a group of four performers holding two swords each perform stunts while moving in a circle. Braghoni is the fastest and the most adventurous of all steps, which a single dancer performs with three swords. He very skillfully swings two swords in the air while holding the third in his mouth. Bulbullah is the last of the twelve steps, staged without swords. The dancers sing a love song at a high pitch. At the end of the song, the drumbeat increases slightly and the dance goes on.

History of Athan (Attan or Khatak) dance

A British journalist of Pashtun origin, Amanullah Ghilzai, traced the roots of Khatak to the ancient Greek dance of almost the same name. According to his theory, the dance which is internationally known as Khatak, while among the Afghans and Pashtuns as Athan, is actually one of the earliest forms of the ancient Greek dances, called "Athena" attributed to the Greek Goddess of War, Wisdom and Patriotism, of the same name. The Greeks had brought this dance with them to Bactria, ancient Afghanistan about 23 centuries ago when they had colonised this region for several centuries. During this period a sizable chunk of the Greek population had moved to Afghanistan and some western and northern-western parts of Pakistan, mentioned as "Yavanas" in the ancient Hindu books. The dance "Athan" also "Attan", seems to have been preserved in one of its earliest forms by members of the Khatak and some other Pashtun tribes, including the Ghilzais. The Athan dance is performed by many Pashtuns but each of the tribes has changed it a bit or a lot while the name "Athan" remains the same. In the ancient Greece, the dance Athena had the same definition and reverence attached to it as most Pashtuns would still attach to Athan. The dance Athena seems to have disappeared in Greece during the Christian era while interestingly, the Athan survived in Afghanistan and Pashtun parts of Pakistan. [ [http://www.archive.gr/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=194 Greece in Central Asia: An inquiry into ethnic identity, ideology and historical revisionism among contemporary Pashtuns] ]

References

See also

* Pashtun culture
* Music of Afghanistan

External links

* [http://www.khyber.org/culture/atan/khattakdance.shtml Khyber.org-Traditional Dances of Pashtoons]
* [http://www.khyber.org/culture/atan/atan.shtml Khyber.org- Khattak Dance]
* [http://www.app.com.pk/en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7131&Itemid=2 Khattak Dance - Martial art for perfect symmetry of soul and body]