People of all ages and ethnicities sang and danced with remarkable energy Saturday night during a performance by Arif Lohar, a beloved Pakistani folk singer with 150 albums, 50 international tours and 5 million hits on YouTube.
Lohar's performance, preceded by a performance by world music songstress Arooj Aftab, was part of "Caravanserai: A place where cultures meet" - a program that coordinates artist residencies to "invite American audiences to have an experience of some of the most dynamic Muslim artists," said Kathleen Pletcher, executive artistic director and founder of FirstWorks.
FirstWorks, a nonprofit presenting organization established eight years ago, is one of five presenters for Caravanserai nationwide. The artistic residency consists of not only performances but also workshops and conversations at schools, libraries and community centers, Pletcher said. The goal of the project is to create unprecedented access to artists and build bridges between performers and the audience, she said.
Lohar and his band traveled 7,000 miles to take part in this program, Pletcher said.
Pletcher said so far there have been some "really beautiful moments," including when the artists sang and danced with students with disabilities. "The categories and boundaries that divide us are dissolved," she said.
Pletcher added that the Pakistani community in Rhode Island has embraced the program, and some have told her they have never felt more welcome in America.
The performance began with Pletcher and Zeyba Rahman, artistic director of Caravanserai, speaking to the largely Middle Eastern audience packed into Rhode Island School of Design Auditorium.
Aftab, accurately described by Rahman as "minimalistic, delicate, contemplative," then took the stage with acoustic guitarist Bhrigu Sahni. Aftab's music "fuses classical Pakistani and Sufi music traditions with contemporary jazz, folk and pop influences," according to a pamphlet handed out at the performance.
The pieces performed by Aftab and Sahni were soft, slow and emotional. Both performers were swaying to the music, and Aftab frequently closed her eyes as though she was entirely consumed by the melody.
The performers were extremely connected throughout - their eyes met frequently while they played, and they moved to the music in unison. "You have to really blend and merge together," Sahni told The Herald.
Despite coming from countries that have experienced strained diplomatic ties - Sahni is from India and Aftab is from Pakistan - the performers blend perfectly. "It's about music, and it's about love," he said.
The emotion of Aftab's ethereal, light voice and Sahni's acoustic guitar appeared to affect the audience as well.
Following their performance, Lohar's band of Pakistani instrumentalists and female singer Fozia performed one song as an introduction for Lohar. The music was much faster-paced, with Fozia encouraging audience members to clap along to the beat.
When Lohar finally took the stage, the audience roared with applause and cheers.
Lohar had an enormous, powerful and rich voice that filled the auditorium. While he sang, he played a chimta - a percussion instrument from South Asia resembling large tongs with brass jingles on the sides.
The music they performed consisted of contemporized interpretations of traditional Punjabi songs. Punjab is a region of South Asia where the five rivers of Sutlej, Beas, Ravi, Chenab and Jhelum flow.
It was "music that has been practiced in the villages for centuries," said Tariq Malik, clinical associate professor of medicine.
"It got me in touch with my Punjabi side," said Providence resident Sheza Iqbal.
Buelqies Kahn, another Providence resident, said the concert was a nostalgic experience for her after being away from Pakistan for so long.
Audience members clapped their hands, tapped their feet and danced in their seats throughout the entire performance. As the performance progressed, more and more people left their seats and danced in front of the stage. Some even tossed handfuls of dollar bills at Lohar.
"Audience participation is an essential part," Malik said, adding that everyone dances differently according to how the music affects them. "Everybody moves as does their soul."
Lohar's stage presence was as impressive as his voice. He smiled constantly and would frequently step back from the microphone, pause and then jump toward it while yelling to the music. The audience responded with roars and cheers. He also played air guitar at times and swung the microphone around, almost throwing it to the floor.
"He is so eccentric," Iqbal said, adding that it makes audience members want to join him.
Even children in the audience gravitated to the stage in order to be nearer to the performers.
The band had a powerful sound that supplemented Lohar's energized performance. "You have to start jumping and dancing," Sahni said. "It's just this wall of sound."
At the end of the performance, Lohar and his band received a standing ovation and calls for an encore. The band played one more song, and with it people resumed dancing - some climbing onto the stage and dancing with Lohar. Lohar even coordinated some dances with a few teenage boys who gathered around him.
"It was amazing," said Providence resident Caitlin Strokosch. It is great that even non-Pakistani members of the audience were swept up in the music as well, she said.
Lohar and Aftab will be participating in a lecture and demonstration concert in the Perry and Mart
y Granoff Center for the Creative Arts today at 4 p.m.
