GIRL POWER

In 2016 I was invited to Karachi for Girl Power, a joint project of the Goethe-Institut Pakistan and the Alliance Française de Karachi, funded by the French-German Cultural Fund. The German side took care of dance, the French side offered boxing classes. I travelled with two female collaborators, who chose to remain anonymous, and we worked with a school in the city.

About 120 girls, roughly 14 to 16 years old, took part in the dance. Together we created a piece celebrating freedom, a mix of urban dance styles and contemporary dance. A second group of about fifteen young women in their twenties worked with us too; they chose not to perform.

One of the most beautiful moments happened in that group, in a mixed rehearsal with young men from the urban dance scene. In one exercise, the men stood still like statues and became clay in the women's hands. The women could bring a man into any shape they wanted: move his arms, turn his head, change his gestures. They felt it as a strong empowerment, and their laughter and excitement were a joy to experience and to watch.

The performances took place in the protected garden of the Alliance Française, before a close circle of families. The boxing ring stood next to the stage, so the girls who boxed and the girls who danced watched each other. Participants and parents showed us a lot of gratitude, and we had many long conversations with our hosts.

A BBC team wanted to film in our rehearsal space. I refused, afraid it could put the participants' safety at risk. Looking back, I am not sure it was the right choice. I had the authority to decide, and perhaps I decided on behalf of our local partners, who knew their city better than I did. More visibility might have carried the project further in Pakistan; instead it stayed almost private. I still don't know.

I came back to Karachi in 2019 with FRE!HEIT and the band Darvesh, and found a city that felt calmer.