In the Twin Cities art scene this weekend, immerse yourself in female-empowering narratives as the Ragamala Dance Company reimagines “The Mahabharata” through classical Indian dance. At the Cedar Cultural Center, celebrate life and death at a Latinx Día de los Muertos concert. 

And join the Afghan Cultural Society for an evening of stories and music from Afghan refugees and Afghan American musicians. Plus, explore the concept of home through the lens of Vietnamese, Hmong and Korean artists from Minnesota and London at the Xia Gallery & Cafe.

Indian dance celebrates female agency

The Ragamala Dance Company will premiere “Children of Dharma,” a contemporary take on the Indian epic “The Mahabharata,” through the classical Indian dance form Bharatanatyam. 

The company’s founding family — Ranee Ramaswamy and her daughters, Aparna and Ashwini — draws inspiration from Keerthik Sasidharan’s modern retelling “In the Dharma Forest” to explore themes of choice, power and identity through the characters of Krishna, Draupadi and Gandhari. 

A significant aspect of this reinterpretation is its focus on female characters. Draupadi, traditionally known for her beauty, is married to five brothers due to a misunderstanding during a contest meant to win her hand. When Arjuna, one of the brothers, returns home, the brothers mistakenly believe they should share her, which Draupadi eventually accepts.

In “Children of Dharma,” the Ramaswamy family reimagines Draupadi as Mother Earth, married to five brothers who symbolize the elements. “When she is disrespected, so is the Earth,” said Ramaswamy, the founder of Ragamala Dance.

Gandhari, typically portrayed as a devoted wife married to a blind king, shows her commitment by blindfolding herself on their wedding night, vowing not to see anything her husband cannot see. 

“The first time she opens her blindfold is when she sees 100 children dead,” Ramaswamy said. “In our telling, we have two Gandharis — the young Gandhari who decides to blindfold herself and the Gandhari who opens her blindfold and laments for those children.”

Krishna, a deity in Hinduism recognized as the god of compassion, love and nature, appears throughout all three scenes, assisting the characters in achieving their goals.

“Every time we’re looking for a work that challenges us, there are themes that are still relevant, which is humanity,” Ramaswamy said. “In Bharatanatyam, one person can play several characters. We become all the characters.” 

“Life was chaos 2,000 years ago when this story was written, and it’s still chaos,” she said. “These stories are told over and over again for us to learn from.”

Music fest brings Día de los Muertos to life

Tlalnepantla Arts will host the 12th annual Festival de las Calaveras: Twin Cities Latinx Music Festival, celebrating the Indigenous Mexican holiday Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), rooted in honoring departed loved ones.

This year’s lineup will feature Argentinian rock band Los Espíritus, Mexican singer-songwriter Ceci Bastida, Tijuana-based electronic collective Nortec: Bostich + Fussible, Chicana punk band Fea, and Mexican musician Juan Pablo Villa, who will perform with the St. Paul choir Border CrosSing.

Afghan arts fest features music, dance, stories

The Afghan Cultural Society will celebrate its second anniversary since opening its doors at Cedar Riverside with an arts festival featuring Afghan music, dance and community stories. 

Sunday’s festival begins with a panel discussion featuring society members and Afghan refugees sharing their personal experiences adapting to life in the United States. The program includes performances by Afghan American ruhab player Quraishi Roya, tabla player Toryalai Hashimi and singer Sear Azizi.  Dancer and choreographer Samia Karimi, inspired by Afghan and Bollywood classics, will perform a women-only dance segment.

Founded in 2018, the Afghan Cultural Society aims to preserve Afghan traditions and support Afghan refugees as they rebuild their lives in Minnesota. It provides services such as educational mentorship, mental health support, health care guidance, and access to essential items and art supplies.

Asian diaspora artists explore home, heritage

The Xia Gallery & Cafe presents “No Place Like Home: The Diaspora,” a collaborative exhibit that examines the concepts of home, identity and belonging through the experiences of Vietnamese and Korean diaspora artists based in London along with Hmong, Vietnamese and Korean artists in Minnesota.

Curated by Vietnamese queer artist KV Duong and photographer Laura Migliorino, the exhibit pairs four artists from London with four Minnesota-based counterparts, including Korean-American performance artist Bethany Lacktorin, Vietnamese visual artist Genie Hien Tran, Hmong-American embroidery and textile artist Tshab Her, and portrait photographer Xu Yang. 

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