Bala Kanda: Origins
Friday, 9th May 2025|7:00 pm EDT
| $20.00Part 1 of The Ramayana Trilogy
Teacher Initiative Series
Presented by Anjali Dance Center
Artistic Direction and Choreography: Ami Majmudar
Original Narration: Amit Majmudar
Co-Author: Shiv 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.
The former first poet Laureate of Ohio, Amit Majmudar’s poems, novels, and essays have been published and recognized internationally.
Shiv Majmudar has been published in the Alabama Literary Review. His fiction has been recognized by the Writers of the Future contest. He was named superior high school columnist by the Ohio Scholastic Media Association in 2024/25. Shiv is a junior at Olentangy Orange High School.
Dhara Bakshi has been teaching Hindustani classical vocal music since 1995. She holds a Master’s degree in Performing Arts (Vocal Music) from M.S. University, Baroda, along with Sangeet Visharad and Sangeet Shiksha Visharad, further strengthening her expertise in vocal music education.
As the founder of ICMSC (Indian Classical Music School of Columbia), Dhara has been training hundreds of students (online and in person) in Hindustani classical music since 2018, nurturing the next generation of musicians with her in-depth knowledge and dedicated teaching.
- Manasvi Udani
- Mira Kumar
- Yukti Chokshi
- Vanshika Kapoor
- Shambhavi Varadkar
- Rasika Siva
- Siri Pendurthi
- Madhumita Peddisetty
- Swara Pandit
- Lavishka Kapoor
- Aishani Majmudar
- Navya Siva
- Srinidhi Jadcherla
- Uma Patel
- Mala Gokhale
- Meghana Paladugu
- Diya Yetukuri
- Jiya Gokhale
- Diya Raval
- Sanvi Patel
- Anjana Thottimpudi
- Lasya Emani
- Aashvee Shah
- Saanvi Shah
- Saheli Sriram
- Yukti Uppu
- Hanika Kachakayala
- Shrinika Balgarkashi