Khattak dance

Khattak dance (Pashto: د خټکو اتڼ‎) is a swift martial attan dance usually performed while carrying a sword and a handkerchief by the tribesmen from the agile Khattak tribe of Pashtuns in Pakistan and some eastern parts of Afghanistan. It was performed by Khattak warriors before going to wars in the time of Malik Shahbaz Khan Khattak, and then Khushal Khan Khattak. It was used as a war-preparation exercise and is known to be the only dance with swordplay.

It originated in the Pashtun regions of present-day Pakistan amongst the Khattak tribe of Pashtuns. It is a varied form of Athan, or Attan, which has been preserved in one of its earliest forms by members of the Khattak and other Pashtun tribes, including the Ghilzais. There are many regional variations of Athan. In traditional Pashtun areas, the dance Athena had the same definition and reverence attached to it as Pashtuns accord to Athan. Athena seems to appeared era while Athan survived in present eastern Afghanistan and north western Pakistan amongst Pashtuns.

A journalist of Pashtun origin, Amanullah Ghilzai, traced the roots of Khattak to an ancient Greek dance. According to his theory, Khatak, or Athan, is one of the earliest forms of the ancient Greek dance Athena. The Greeks brought this dance with them to Bactria. The Greeks had bequeathed the conventional dance for ancient Pashtun-dominated regions when they had colonised this region for several centuries ago. In ancient Greece, Athena had the same definition and reverence attached to it as Pashtuns accord to Athan. Athena seems to have disappeared in Greece during the Christian era while Athan survived in Afghanistan and Pashtun parts of Pakistan. The word Kathak derives from the Khattak. Since khattak tribe was the nearest tribe towards India it might have influenced Indian culture. Kathak is a form of dance of Hindus for telling tales of Gods with dance, music and singing.

Khattak style is deeply rooted during the Moghul period, where men performed this dance with their weapons in their hands. A Khattak dancer performs with the zeal of a hero, displaying his physical fitness through body movements, while holding one, two or even three swords at a time. Each sword weighs about  1 ¹⁄₂ kilograms. The dance is a 5-step routine involving spins, with the swords crossed over their backs and elbows outward, or it can be performed with the swords out to the sides and typically attain half spin in place leading to a full spin. Depending on the rhythm of the beat, this spin can be completely reversed in full synchronicity. This dance is performed with the musician tuning the beat to the technique of the performers. It is performed very quickly, set to uptempo music featuring the piper, clarion, and drums beaten with sticks. Up to forty men dance together wielding swords or handkerchiefs and performing acrobatic feats. The fast tempo of Khattak distinguishes it from other attan, which start slowly and pick up speed as the dance progresses.

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