Sheema Kermani: Dance, Culture, and Pakistan’s Social Fabric

In a world increasingly dominated by fleeting digital trends, what is the role of classical art? And in a society grappling with its identity, how can art become a form of resistance? In a deep conversation on the Digitales podcast, legendary classical dancer and activist Sheema Kermani breaks down her life’s journey, tracing the deep-rooted connections between art, activism, and the fight for Pakistan’s cultural soul.Kermani’s entry into the world of dance was organic, nurtured in a creatively encouraging household. Despite her father being a military man, he was a product of the British army’s tradition, which valued arts and culture as essential to a well-rounded upbringing.

The Pakistan Factor

This environment exposed her to literature, music, and dance from a young age. While she initially pursued painting, she found it isolating. Dance, in contrast, was communal. “Art engages the self,” she explains, “dance engages a community.”This communal power of dance was thrown into sharp relief during the late 1970s and 1980s. Kermani provides a firsthand account of the drastic cultural shift under the state-sponsored Islamization of Pakistan.

The Pakistan Factor: Part 2

This period saw a systematic dismantling of the arts, with an official ban placed on women dancing on stage. For Kermani, this was a critical moment. While many artists fled the country, she saw it as a call to arms. “I said, how can anyone ban dancing?” she recalls.

The Pakistan Factor: Part 2

Her art was no longer just a passion; it became an “act of defiance” against dictatorship and cultural erasure.Kermani makes the striking assertion that today’s times are “darker” than the 80s. Back then, she knew who the adversary was,the state. Today, the opposition is more insidious, diffused within a society where fundamentalism has taken root, partly due to a biased educational curriculum.The conversation also explores into her tireless work as an activist, particularly with the Aurat March.

She reveals its greatest achievement isn’t legislative change, but something more fundamental: starting a national dialogue. “Every home in Pakistan today… will be talking about, ‘Oh, these mad Aurat Marches, what do they want?’” This dialogue, she argues, has shaken the foundations of patriarchy.

What Comes Next

She powerfully reclaims the controversial slogan “Mera Jism, Meri Marzi” (My Body, My Choice) as a simple, non-negotiable demand for consent.Looking to the future, Kermani’s mission is one of preservation. She is working to establish a cultural institution dedicated to the classical arts,a safe, inclusive space for learning, practice, and performance, which she argues is critically absent in Karachi. It’s a legacy project born from a lifetime of defiance, aimed at ensuring the deep, unifying power of art is not lost to future generations. Her story is a powerful reminder that culture is not a luxury; it is the lifeblood of a society, and sometimes, the most powerful act of protest is simply to dance.