Fasih Ur Rehman is a professional dancer of classic dance

Kathak Kathak ( hi, कथक; ur, کتھک) is one of the eight major forms of Indian classical dance. It is the classical dance from of Uttar Pradesh. The origin of Kathak is traditionally attributed to the traveling bards in ancient northern Ind ...

, disciple of Maharaj Ghulam Hussain Kathak for 20 years, (1977-1998) in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

, and later continued his studies with

Kumudini Lakhia Kumudini Lakhia (born 17 May 1930) is an Indian Kathak dancer and choreographer based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, where she founded Kadamb School of Dance and Music, an institute of Indian dance and music in 1967. A pioneer in contemporary Kathak d ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: Amdavad ) is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 (per t ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

.Official website
Is the main male Kathak dancer of Pakistan with more than 30 years of experience of the Kathak artform.offwestend.com
; last view 30/05/2014

First years and background

From a royal Afghan lineage,Fasih ur Rehman el Bailarin Afgano
anildanza.com; last view 30/05/2014 his mother was closely related to princess Fatima Sultana of Kaboul, sister of King

Amanullah Khan Ghazi Amanullah Khan (Pashto and Dari: ; 1 June 1892 – 25 April 1960) was the sovereign of Afghanistan from 1919, first as Emir and after 1926 as King, until his abdication in 1929. After the end of the Third Anglo-Afghan War in August 1919, ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

, Fasih is son of the cinematographer Massud-Ur-Rehman, brother of

Faisal Rehman Faisal Rehman commonly known as Faisal is a Pakistani film and television actor, writer and director. He has worked in 36 films and many television shows. Biography Faisal Rehman's ancestors hail from Afghanistan with roots in the Mohammadzai ...

and nephew of

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

actor

Rehman Rehman may refer to a Muslim surname which means, "Merciful", "King", " Lord". It's an honorary title used by some Muslims of Sheikh or Sayyid Caste of Middle Eastern Origin, it is a common surname or middle-name among some Pashtun tribemen. It is a ...

. Grew up in Lahore, Pakistan. Since he was a child, he was fascinated with dancing.Fasih ur Rehman Interview
; last view 30/05/2014 Encouraged by his close family he decided to observe

Maharaj Ghulam Hussein Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king". A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, a ...

's lessons, and then started learning from him. Later, he also started performing on stage under the direction of Maharaj Ghulam.

Career

Started his public appearances starting the 1980s decade for several embassies and numerous private performances. Then he danced under direction of Kumudini Lakhia in Pakistan and England in the 1990s. Once he started to choreograph in Pakistan he found a difficult sociopolitic environment (see

Culture of Pakistan The Culture of Pakistan ( ur, ) is very unique in terms of its social values revolving around the religion of Islam. The region has formed a distinct cultural unit within the main cultural complex of South Asia, Middle East and Central Asia. Q ...

) fact he could get over becoming a leading figure in Kathak scene worldwide ). He has participated in events in Italy, U.K., Tunisia, Dubai, U.S., Pakistan, Japan, London, Spain, among others. Worked closely with the Kathak Society TKS) in Karachi during 1998-2001. Continues his professional development teaching regularly in London and other points in Europe and Asia, and performing in diverse international stages

Awards

In 2006 he received

Tamgha-e-Imtiaz Tamgha-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Tamgha-i-Imtiaz, is a state-organised honour of Pakistan. It is given to any civilian in Pakistan based on their achievements. While it is a civilian/military award, it can be bestowed upon officers of the P ...

, Medal of Excellence given by Pakistan State to high achievement for his outstanding career in arts.

References

External links

Official web site
{{Authority control Artists from Lahore Pakistani male dancers Kathak exponents Recipients of Tamgha-e-Imtiaz