Ramayana dance drama coming soon

The East-West School of Dance will be performing its Ramayana dance drama, featuring a cast and crew of over 60 people with colorful costumes, original music composed in India, and of course the beautiful dancers taking over the stage performing the Kathak dance style.

The American actors and Indian dancers are considered a true representation of Eastern and Western cultures. The two-hour performance includes the symbolic scenes of Ram lifting the bow, the marriage of Ram and Sita, the exile into the forest, rescue of Sita from Ravana, the 10-headed demon, the spectacular burning Lanka in open air, plus many characters played by professional dancers and actors.

This performance is under the direction of the Pandit SatyaNarayana Charka, with scholarly team work by Dr. Stephen Snow, Dr. Nimisha Patel Joshi, Hassan Akua-Actor, and Sonyadevi Kumar. It also features live music by Deepak Kumarji and Naren Budhakarji.

The Ramayana show will take place on Saturday July 20, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Outdoor Lakeside Stage (13 Sapphire Road, Monroe). Admission is $20. For more information, call 845-782-5575/646-489-7790 or visit anandaashram.org.