Inspired by the fabled Silk Road (the western world’s first connection with east, now symbolizing cross-fertilization of everything from music to spice racks), Ballet Afsaneh spent the past year orchestrating a collaboration with acclaimed local artists from the Central and South Asian diaspora. This impressive year-long exercise culminates in a performance blending dance, music, and text from the historic trade routes of Eurasia.
Twelve musicians and eight dancers display their respective disciplines from the cultural heritages of Iran, Tajikistan, Indonesia, Afghanistan, India, Morocco, and Hungary. Examples of aforementioned blending: kathak’s stomping footwork and technical turns meet modern music in one section while dancers wind through a silk desert followed by Persian poetry in another. All twenty artists create a vibrant keyhole into the tradition and expansion of Eastern culture.
November 20-21. Cowell Theater, Fort Mason. Tickets are $18-25 at 415-345-7575 or fortmason.org.
