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German choreographer and performer Sarah Angius presents LONO to Karachi audiences as part of the World Culture Festival, delivering a 45-minute wordless performance that blends contemporary dance, physical theatre, puppetry and visual illusions. The show landed on the 12th day of the festival, according to ua.news, citing Dawn.
A woman, a desk lamp, and zero dialogue – that combination alone is enough to make anyone curious about what exactly went on during those 45 minutes. The audience responded with applause at the end of the show.
Quick Facts
- LONO is a 45-minute performance by German choreographer Sarah Angius.
- It was presented on the 12th day of the World Culture Festival in Karachi, Pakistan.
- The performance combines contemporary dance, physical theatre, puppetry and visual illusions.
- It contains no dialogue and centres on the relationship between a woman and a desk lamp.
- The audience greeted the show with applause.
What Actually Happened With LONO
On the 12th day of the World Culture Festival in Karachi, Sarah Angius took the stage with a production that is hard to categorise in a single sentence. The performance used no spoken words at all. Instead, it leaned entirely on movement, lighting, puppetry and visual illusions to carry its ideas across to the audience.
At the heart of the piece is an unusual artistic relationship between a woman and a desk lamp. It sounds minimal, but that restraint is clearly intentional. The production uses that simplicity to explore some genuinely big themes – human consciousness, memory, and how people understand both the past and the future.
The same day also saw Kenyan artists Makadem and Adela host a workshop titled Music as Memory. They walked attendees through the history, structure and cultural significance of the nyatiti, a traditional instrument of the Luo people. One notable detail they shared was that playing the nyatiti was historically restricted to men, though an increasing number of women are now taking up the art.
Muhammad Ahmed Shah, president of the Arts Council of Pakistan in Karachi, invited Makadem and Adela to the Arts Council’s residency programme, offering them two weeks at the council to teach music to students and work with local musicians on new creative projects.
The festival day did not stop there. Azerbaijani sculptor Mushfig Heydarov held a workshop introducing students to both traditional and contemporary sculpture techniques. French dance group Legiteam Obstruxion also held a session at Studio One. The event is shaping up to be one of the most genuinely international cultural gatherings Karachi has seen in a while. For context on how Pakistani arts and entertainment have been evolving, this kind of international exchange fits right into a broader shift happening across the country’s cultural scene.
Why It Matters
Karachi hosting a World Culture Festival at this scale is itself worth paying attention to. The fact that it brought together a German choreographer, Kenyan musicians, an Azerbaijani sculptor and a French dance group under one programme says something real about where the city is positioning itself culturally.
The LONO performance in particular stands out because it does not rely on language. That is a genuinely clever choice for a multicultural festival where audiences come from very different backgrounds. Dance, light, and movement cross language barriers in a way that even the most beautifully written script cannot always manage.
The nyatiti workshop adds another layer. Makadem and Adela did not just perform – they educated. And the detail about women increasingly taking up an instrument that was historically off-limits to them is a small story within the bigger story, one that resonates well beyond Karachi. Karachi itself has been making headlines for other reasons too – from giant mantas spotted off its coast to new emergency services being launched in the city – and events like this festival show yet another side of what the city has going on.
The Reactions
The audience at the LONO performance responded with applause, as reported by Dawn and picked up by ua.news. That kind of immediate, in-the-room reaction to a no-dialogue, abstract performance is telling. It suggests the show connected even without the safety net of spoken words or a conventional story structure.
What Happens Next
Muhammad Ahmed Shah has already extended an invitation to Makadem and Adela for a two-week residency at the Arts Council of Pakistan in Karachi. That residency would involve teaching music to students and collaborating with local musicians. It is a concrete next step that could leave a lasting mark on the city’s music community well after the festival ends. Whether similar follow-up engagements are planned for the other performers has not been reported yet.
About LONO
LONO is a performance created and presented by German choreographer and performer Sarah Angius. The 45-minute piece explores human consciousness, memory, and perceptions of the past and future through contemporary dance, physical theatre, puppetry and visual illusions. It contains no dialogue and builds its entire narrative around the artistic relationship between a woman and a desk lamp.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Sarah Angius?
Sarah Angius is a German choreographer and performer. She presented her production LONO at the World Culture Festival in Karachi, Pakistan.
What is the LONO performance about?
LONO explores human consciousness, memories, and perceptions of the past and future. The 45-minute production uses no dialogue, relying instead on contemporary dance, physical theatre, puppetry and visual illusions to tell its story through the relationship between a woman and a desk lamp.
Where was LONO performed?
LONO was performed at the World Culture Festival in Karachi, Pakistan. It was presented on the 12th day of the festival.
How long is the LONO performance?
The performance runs for 45 minutes. It was presented without any spoken dialogue.
What other events happened at the World Culture Festival on the same day as LONO?
On the same day, Kenyan artists Makadem and Adela held a music workshop about the nyatiti, a traditional instrument of the Luo people. Azerbaijani sculptor Mushfig Heydarov also ran a sculpture workshop, and French dance group Legiteam Obstruxion held a session at Studio One.
What is the nyatiti and why was it discussed at the festival?
The nyatiti is a traditional instrument of the Luo people from Kenya. Kenyan artists Makadem and Adela discussed its history, structure and cultural traditions during their Music as Memory workshop, including the fact that playing it was historically restricted to men but more women are now learning the art.
What role did the Arts Council of Pakistan play in the festival?
Muhammad Ahmed Shah, president of the Arts Council of Pakistan in Karachi, was involved in the festival. He invited Kenyan artists Makadem and Adela to the Arts Council’s residency programme, offering them two weeks to teach music and collaborate with local musicians.
Final Thoughts
A German choreographer, a desk lamp, and a Karachi crowd that left applauding – that is the kind of story that reminds you why live arts matter. The World Culture Festival is clearly delivering something real, and the ripple effects, from the nyatiti workshop to a potential two-week residency for Kenyan musicians, suggest this is more than a one-day event. Keep an eye on how the Arts Council follows through on those collaborations.
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Source: ua.news
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