It was wonderful to have so many of you with us for our virtual production Maya: the Illusionist, produced with generous support from the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County. Through this program, our intention was to introduce viewers to an ancient South Asian perspective on the idea of worldly illusion, and to share both the traditional vocabulary and the contemporary narrative potential of the Odissi dance form. Starting with the idea of illusion, or Maya, as it is conceptualized in Hindu scripture, we wanted to show how reality is obscured in stories from other literary and cultural traditions, serving as both a plot device and a metaphor for a major aspect of the human experience.

The show premiered via Zoom on December 5th, 2021, but if you missed it, don’t worry! You can still watch it until January 5th, 2022 by completing this short registration form after which you’ll see a link in the completion message to view it on our Youtube channel. If you would like to share feedback after viewing the show, please look for a link to our short feedback form in the description box below the video. We will be donating $1 to a Wheaton area charitable organization for every survey response we receive.

Thanks again to everyone who joined us as we tried out some new things, and especially to those who participated in our talkback or shared their feedback with us in other ways – we are so grateful to you!