Nrityakosh, a renowned oriental and fusion belly dance school, is thrilled to announce its upcoming dance production, 'Arabian Nights.' The production offers a mesmerizing retelling of the legendary 1001 Nights with a focus on the powerful women within these cherished tales.
With an ensemble of over 80 oriental dancers, the performance will offer a theatrical experience blending artistry, culture and storytelling. We catch up with the show choreographer, Debapriya Das, to find out everything you need to know about the show.
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What can be expected from the upcoming performance?
The Arabian Nights is a 100-minute oriental dance production by Nrityakosh. The more popular stories - Aladdin & the Wonderful Lamp, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, and Sindbad the Sailor have been dramatized in popular culture numerous times. Nrityakosh is bringing these stories - spotlighting the women of these popular stories and offering fresh twists to the stories that we know well.
What inspired the idea behind the choreography and curation of this event?
We are recreating a 2018 production which was called “Scheherazade’s Web”. This too was a retelling of the Arabian Nights. The stories from 1001 Nights aka Arabian Nights are relatable and inspiring at the same time. It’s interesting to observe the women characters of the stories and how they are written, their role in the stories, and how that contributes to the complexities of these simple folk tales.
What are the themes that are going to be followed?
The uniqueness of the show is contributed by the fresh perspective in the narrative, usage of Middle Eastern folk dance and classical dance language which also helps the audience understand the dance better and the production has close to 80 dancers participating. The production is divided into 5 acts and some of the themes we are focussing on are - power of choice, community empowerment and understanding of freedom.
Are there any special skill sets required to present in this show?
All productions by Nrityakosh are performed by The Nrityakosh Company. This is the professional wing of the school. The Nrityakosh Company is a 10-member team who have been rigorously trained and mentored by me for the last 5 years, before this training they have at least another 4-5 years of belly dance training experience. Most of the company members are professional belly dancers or on the training to become one. The Arabian Nights production also includes students from the school. Most of them are at their various levels of training ranging between 1 year to about 5 years or more!
INR 350 onwards. On October 14, 4 pm & 7 pm. At JSS Auditorium, at Jayanagar.
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