Pearland will play host to an Indian classical dance ballet – Bhakti Sugandham-The Fragrance of Devotion – on December 18 beginning at 4 p.m. at the CA Nelson auditorium at 2337 N Galveston Ave, Pearland TX 77581. Produced by Global Organization for Divinity and supported by the City of Pearland’s Cultural Arts grant program, the ballet will portray legends from Srimad Bhagavatam, a 5000-year-old sacred Indian text, highlighting the nine emotions of classical dance – Courage, Wonder, Anger, Compassion, Disgust, Fearfulness, Love, Humor and Peace.
Srimad Bhagavatam is an ancient Indian Sanskrit scripture that contains deep philosophical discussions couched in the seemingly simple garb of stories of divine incarnations, kings and princesses, sages and devotees, angels and demons. This text is said to emanate the fragrance of devotion and sprout devotion in anyone who reads it regularly. Legends from this beautiful text portraying each of the nine emotions will be presented in this performance, using the intricate, graceful and expressive medium of the classical Indian dance form of bharatanatyam.
The ballet weaves an English narrative with traditional Indian classical music, Sanskrit and Tamil devotional compositions of contemporary Indian saint, His Holiness Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji, and original Sanskrit verses from the text itself. It is sure to have audiences of all cultural backgrounds riveted and enthralled!
The production, which is a fundraiser for the nonprofit community activities of Global Organization for Divinity, has been put together largely by local artists. Nisha Giri, the script-writer, and Uma Ranganathan, the music director, are from Pearland area while the dance director Surabi Veeraragavan is from Houston. The accomplished dancer cast hails from around Houston – including several dancers from the Pearland area – as well as from other parts of the USA, all students of reputed dance gurus and institutions in Houston and other cities.
Tickets are $15 for advance purchase or $20 at the door on the day of the event. Donor/VIP passes with preferred seating are offered for donors at the $100, $250, $500 levels and above. To buy tickets online visit www.godivinity.org, or call 281-402-6585.