Forty-three dancers from 11 years to the early 40s were positioned in two lines — ballet shoes tied, excitement and nerves abundant as they walked inside the Houston NRG arena. Just minutes before, there was so much acitvity — volunteers helping with hair and makeup in one corner, small group practices taking place in another, and professional photos taking place by the doors. 

 

But that was all behind them now as they mentally remembered their steps that they fearlessly and confidently just performed to an emotional Jamat in tears, clapping and cheering throughout and not resisting the final standing ovation.

 

Representing five countries, each dance told a different story before coming together in the finale dance fulfilling the One Jamat aspiration. After two months of practice and 250 hours per dancer, ask any of the dancers and they were quick to say that the opportunity was well worth it. 

The performance opened with a Syrian dance with footage of Hazar Imam visiting the country rolling on a projector behind them. Each dancer in the group took pride in representing our brothers and sisters in Syria, especially now as they face a time of hardship, and it showed with each perfected dabke step.

 

One of the Syrian dancers, Sarosha Hemani, said, “I feel a personal responsibility to show to the people watching a different culture, that of our Jamat in Syria.”

Next was a colorful group wearing long mirrored tunics that they got from Afghanistan. Shelina Velani, performance coordinator, admired the dancers for learning and synchronizing the difficult steps. “The dance was such a celebration and had endless spins that were done perfectly and always on point,” she said.

The light, was then passed to a graceful dance from Tajikistan, not to the beat of the music but to the feeling of the rhythm. One of the dancers in this group and mom of two, Dilafruz Saidibragimova, grew up in Tajikistan where she danced traditional Sufi dance before moving to Houston a little over two years ago. She was so happy to represent her country in Houston and dance alongside girls who, she jokingly claimed, did the dance better than Tajik girls back home.

Out came a group of girls in jasmine braids and pink shalwars moving beautifully to the music. Representing the elements of fire, earth, water and air all coming together in unison, the dance was influenced from the countries of Iran and Iraq. Powerful, emotional, and good use of facial cues created a mutual feeling that we could have watched this group flow around the stage for hours. 

The last dance was a modern twist to Indo-Pak, not with the traditional dandia or garba steps we are accustomed to, but with more contemporary forms of dancing. One of the performers, Saniha Lakhpathy, explained the dance was about emerging identities in search for light.

 

The finale was grand as all the countries came together for a final thump. Danish Ali, whose younger sister performed in the dance, shared his sentiment and excitement about the performance. “It’s great to see my sister step outside of her comfort zone and explore a different culture that she is not accustomed to,” he said. 

 

Nikhat Jharia, master dancer of the Diamond Jubilee dance, summarized the performances by saying: “The Diamond Jubilee performance required so much energy, concentration and practice. I struggled with the Afghan dance initially. It's actually the hardest dance! That being said, it wasn't the choreography I was most excited to see, the visuals, or even the costumes. The dance truly came together when the dancers themselves became one unit, one family. Backstage, the dancers were cheering each other on. You could see how much fun they were having and how much love they had for each other because they were going through this journey together. Watching them become a family brought the performance to life.”