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Arts & Entertainment

Stories Told Through Dance at Skirball

Arpana Dance Company performs classical Indian movements.

Wearing brightly colored saris, the Arpana Dance Company twirled across the outdoor stage at the Skirball Cultural Center on Saturday, using hand gestures and body language to tell a story for the audience.

“It’s a dance form called Bharata Natyam. It’s from the southern part of India and it has a long history,” said Ramya Harishankar, Arpana Dance Company's artistic director. “This style of dancing has been in performance since the 15th century.”

Part of Bharata Natyam involves the art of storytelling using only movement, Harishankar said.

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“As you dance, you tell stories with just your eyes and your gestures. We all express emotions through our bodies, we just don’t realize it. So we are using it as an art form, but it’s something that people do every day of their lives,” she said. “Bharata Natyam is really a combination of rhythm and melody and color and drama.”

Based in Irvine, the Arpana Dance Company has been performing classical Indian dance for more than 25 years.

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“We also go to schools, museums and libraries to introduce the community to this kind of dance,” Harishankar said.

The show was part of the Skirball’s Family Amphitheater Performances, which take place at noon at 2 p.m. weekends through Sept. 4. The main goal at the Skirball is to help develop appreciation of other cultures, even at the youngest ages, according to Director of Programs Jordan Peimer.

“The amphitheater programming is meant to enhance the museum experience and to get people to think about other cultures and styles that they might not be familiar with,” Peimer said. “It’s a place where kids can interact with their parents and experience these events together as a family and have a really good time.”

For information about upcoming performances at the Skirball, call the museum at 310-440-4500 or visit www.skirball.org.

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