Abhinaya Dance Company Premieres VAANARA LEELA

Abhinaya Dance Company of San Jose, the company that brought "Arjuna - A Warrior's Tale" to life in 2014 to critical acclaim now presents "Vaanara Leela - Monkeys in the Ramayana". The Ramayana is one of the two major Sanskrit epics from Hindu mythology describing Prince Rama's journey.

The most extraordinary feature in this epic is the role played by the monkeys in the forest where the prince is exiled. Prince Rama seeks the help of Hanuman, the monkey warrior venerated as a god, and Sugreeva, king of a vast monkey army to find his abducted wife, Sita. Focusing on the story from the monkeys' perspective, Abhinaya Dance Company's production will dramatically portray the hordes of monkeys and their enthusiasm and energy as they set out to find Sita. When Hanuman succeeds in finding Sita in Lanka, he and the monkeys assist in building an incredible bridge of stones spanning the ocean to reach Lanka. "Vaanara Leela - Monkeys in the Ramayana" premiers on November 5th and 6th with over 15 dancers and new choreography, promising to be another of Abhinaya's exciting new creations.

The performance is directed by Artistic Directors Mythili Kumar and Rasika Kumar. The key role of Hanum?n will be danced by Rasika Kumar (Associate Artistic Director & Choreographer).

The performance features new choreography by Mythili Kumar, Rasika Kumar, Malavika Kumar and Anjana Dasu and will be performed by the dancers of Abhinaya Dance Company of San Jose to music composed by veteran composer Asha Ramesh and recorded by master musicians.

Performances are Saturday, Nov. 5 @ 7:00pm; Sunday, Nov. 6 @ 4:00pm. Families welcome

For tickets: (408) 871-5959, abhinaya.org and Vaanara Leela tickets

About Abhinaya Dance Company of San Jose
Artistic Director Mythili Kumar founded the Abhinaya Dance Company of San Jose in 1980. Abhinaya has grown to be a leading multi-cultural organization in the South Bay, known both for its adherence to traditional South Indian classical dance as well as its innovative multi-cultural collaborations. Since 1986, Abhinaya has staged several full-length dance dramas choreographed by Mythili Kumar. Mythili Kumar's artistic excellence has been recognized by several NEA Choreographer Fellowships. She was honored by World Arts West with a Lifetime Achievement Award (2010) and by a "Sustained Achievement Award" from the Bay Area Isadora Duncan Award committee (2011). From 2006, Rasika Kumar (Associate Artistic Director and principal dancer) has been taking an active role in the direction and choreography of new productions presented by the company.

Abhinaya's programs are supported, in part, by a Cultural Affairs grant from the City of San Jose; the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation; an Arts Education grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, a Local Arts Grant from SV Creates; and individual donations and matching corporate donations.