Zareen Panna traces lifelong journey from learning to teaching dance.

Dancing as a child since before she hit her teens, Zareen Panna became a household name in no time. Born in Shimla, India in 1947, Panna is one of the most celebrated classical dancers of the country.

In a conversation with Dawn, Panna spoke about her journey in the world of classical dance, the milestones in her career, meeting legendary artistes from across the world, the current state of classical dance in the country, which is very much rooted in this part of the world, and much more.

Reminiscing about her early life, parents and introduction to dance, the veteran performer said her family migrated to Karachi in 1947. 'I started learning dance at the age of five from Ustad Ghulam Hussain (Patiala Gharana), Ustad Shado Maharaj (Dehli Gharana), Rafi Anwar, Siddique Samrat and Madam Azuri.'

Her mother wanted her to become a doctor, but her undeniable love for dance kept her steady on her chosen path. Her father, Nawab Khalil, was an adviser in the court of Maharaja of Patiala. She had no inclination towards academics and her sole passion and purpose in life was dance, hence studied only till matriculation from an Islamia Girls College in Karachi.

She says she has been immensely inspired by eminent Indian Kathak dancer, Sitara Devi.

About achieving national and international recognition through her dance, Panna told Dawn that she has performed in front of several world leaders. 'My first performance at the Presidency was in front of the then president Iskander Mirza, who highly appreciated me. The next time I performed there was during the reign of General Ayub Khan after which in 1958 I was awarded with the Sitara-i-Imtiaz. The other leaders who have witnessed my performances live were former prime ministers Feroze Khan Noon and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and King of Afghanistan Zahir Shah.'

The legendary dancer has also performed in China at the palace of Mao Tse-tung as well as participated in a cultural festival in Moscow four times. She was also conferred with the Pride of Performance award in 2018.

Mentioning her illustrious film journey comprising at least 50 films, Panna said her most memorable moments were shooting for the film, Kalyug, in the 1960s, which was a joint production among Pakistan, India, Germany, France and Italy...