DANCE

Asha for Education, in association with Agni Productions, proudly bring to you Lanka- An Epic on Stage, a stage production that combines Theater, Dance and Martial Arts to narrate an epic tale.

Lanka, tells the fictional story about what transpired in Lanka following the period of the Ramayana, an ancient Indian epic.

Lanka ... The land where once a great battle waged between good and evil . Evil .... Ravana, the great Rakshasa king , might have been evil to the eyes of most humans, for the only true mistake he ever made was to lay his hands on another mans wife , a moment of weakness and his pride to blame for the rest of his actions. However, to the rakshasas he was a leader par excellence and the only one who could command the vast forces of Lanka. Ravana faced defeat at the hands of Rama and his forces. It was considered his destiny to die at the hands of Rama - the lord himself in human form.

After Ravana's defeat Vibhishana , his brother , was entrusted with the throne of Lanka and under his leadership emerged the brave and just Rakshasa clan called the Lankans. However, it was only a matter of time before Surpanakha , the treacherous sister of Ravana assassinated Vibhishana and took over the throne of Lanka.

Her master plan reveals itself - Sita's (Rama's wife) kidnapping , the great war of lanka , Ravana's death - all orchestrated pieces in her ascent to the throne of Lanka. Surpanakha - the epitome of deceit ..

Lanka now stands divided between two Rakshasa clans, the Mayas slaves under the dark power of Surpanakha on one side and the Lankans banished to the forest under their leader Maveera on the other. Vishwamitra , the wise sage and friend to Vibhishana visits the lankans and reveals the ancient prophecy that the one who carries the royal blood line of the Rakshasas will bring peace once again to Lanka and that he or she alone will have the true power to bring together the Lankans and the Mayas.

Only few others in the kingdom knew of the prophecy, Surpanakha being one of them. Her devious mind tells her that the only way to sway the prophecy to her strength is to have a child of her own who will carry the royal blood line. She chooses the most powerful Rakshasa lord to be the father of her child , a logical choice, but her desperation to have a 'son' and only a son to follow after her as the ruler of Lanka blinds her .

Want to find out what happens next? Come watch Lanka ……

The presentation will be entirely in English interlaced with contemporary dance and martial arts drawing inspiration from various influences.

The production takes place on March 27, 2011 at the Cullen Theatre (Wortham Center) in Houston, TX.