Part 1 of The Ramayana Trilogy
Teacher Initiative Series
Presented by Anjali Dance Center
Artistic Direction and Choreography: Ami Majmudar
Original Narration: Amit Majmudar
Shloka music composed and sung by: Dhara Bakshi
With students of Anjali Dance Center
Love and friendship. Power and pride. The eternal struggle between dharma and adharma.
This is the ancient Indian epic, The Ramayana. In this first part of a Ramayana trilogy, Anjali Dance Center presents the Bala Kanda.
Ravana’s arrogance and tyranny, Rama and Sita’s childhood and youth, Sita’s swayamvara, all culminating in a joyous wedding.
Young dancers present ancient verses and well-loved krithis and bhajans, by poets Valmiki, Tulsidas, Arunachala Kavi, Thyagaraja, Purandaradasa, Annamacharya.
Original choreography and dramatic narration capture the charm of the story for all ages.
Ami Majmudar is a teacher, author, storyteller, dancer, and choreographer. Her debut novel, The Torchbearers, published by Penguin India, was shortlisted for the Neev Book Award for Distinguished Children’s Literature. As an Ohio Teaching Artist, Ami teaches writing and India’s vibrant classical and folk dances. She has worked with wide audiences in schools, libraries, and art centers, easily connecting with children and adults of all backgrounds through the universal language of stories, movement, dance, and human emotions.
Ami learned Bharatanatyam from Mythili Kumar (Abhinaya Dance Company of San Jose) and Sujatha Srinivasan (Shri Kalaa Mandir, Cleveland, Ohio). Upon founding Anjali Dance Center in 2012, Ami began to share her love of dance and her culture with local dance students and communities. Anjali Dance Center has performed for organizations such as the Ohio Arts Council, OhioDance, McConnell Arts Center, Dhvani Performing Arts Society of Central Ohio, Vindhya Cultural Association, and Asian Festival.
