HENDERSONVILLE, NC – For a single show performance, the Nrithyanjali School of Dance will perform the Indian dance-drama Krishna on Sunday, September 22 at the Flat Rock Playhouse main-stage, here.  All proceeds from this cultural event will benefit Vision Express, a 501c3 charitable organization,  founded by Rakesh Agarwal, chief executive officer of Rug & Home, the retailer based in Hendersonville, NC.  To see a show preview, click here. 

Brought to Flat Rock Playhouse by Nrithyanjali School of Dance, Krishna is an epic tale of the Indian legend by the same name. The ninety-minute program will take audiences on a journey through his life, filled with mischief and adventure, told through a combination of song, dance, and drama.

The production features colorful sets, imaginative costumes, and more than forty highly skilled performers from the Carolinas. The show is largely choreographed in the classical Indian dance form, called bharatanatyam. Bharatanatyam is characterized by a combination of eye and neck movements, facial expressions, hand gestures, and footwork. 

Krishna will also feature music by a six-member orchestra ensemble based out of Atlanta, GA. The ensemble will include classical Indian male and female vocals, a flutist, a violinist, and percussionists playing traditional Indian instruments, like the mridangam and manjiras. The mridangam is a classical Indian drum.  Manjiras are a pair of small hand cymbals that date back to ancient times and help the performers to stay on beat.

“It is considered the epitome of Indian cultural expression and this is a rare and unique opportunity to see this dance form come to life,” said Sunitha Raj, Nrithyanjali School of Dance director and choreographer.

Vision Express is a nonprofit organization that performs cataract operations on underprivileged women in rural India with the express mission to eradicate blindness from cataracts in this population.

Vision Express was founded in 2012 by local entrepreneur, philanthropist and chief executive officer of Rug & Home, Rakesh Agarwal. The charity has a six-member board comprised of local Hendersonville and Asheville residents who recently made a trip to India in March 2013 to assist in a three-day eye and health clinic for Vision Express.  

Tickets are $35 and will be followed by a complimentary reception and traditional Indian hors d’oeuvres outside, weather permitting.  

To purchase tickets for this single performance, call the Flat Rock Playhouse box office at (828)693-0731 or to purchase online, click here.

To learn more about Vision Express, click here.

09.10.13