Dance and theatre connoisseurs, come one come all to the fourth annual Raqs Luminaire, lighting up the stage on Sunday, January 27th at Richmond's own historic Byrd Theatre. Showcasing a performance with a marriage of glowing costumes, mythological narrative, and the art of belly-dancing, this year's show features local and international dance and cabaret stars such as Princess Farhana and Madame Onça.
Raqs Luminaire: Return to Pandora's Box is a unification of Greek mythology and Twenties American blues. The year is 1926 and Dr. Penny Andora is on a mission to find and uncover the mysteries of Pandora's box, and help her send all of the world's evils back to the box. Due to the historical period in which it takes place, the show is backed by a live blues of local and regional world musicians, including members of the Ululating Mummies, with narration by Richmond legend Harry Kollatz.
Why tell the story of Pandora to embody belly dance/theatrical performance art? Khalima, producer and performer of Luminaire, has been fascinated with the story of Pandora for as long as she can remember and sees parallels between modern society and the age old tale. "The idea that this crazy box [is] a kind of parallel for the human experience--there are plagues, there’s famine, there's war, there's death. [As with the] things that came out of Pandora's box," Khalima said. Meanwhile, the idea of focusing on illumination in the show stemmed from Khalima's interest in bioluminescent creatures during her college years. This is where the light aesthetic for the show derived its spark.
Photo by Devon Rowland
A huge foundation for the aesthetic of the show and for the underlying message is exploration. "We just wanted to make a world we could play in and sort of explore themes of dark and light. Every year [Raqs Luminaire] is an exploration of light and dark; what needs to be alive, what needs to be dead, when are we lighting things up or making them dark," Khalima said. She and her cohorts try to work in an exploration of ethics while fusing the unlikely combination of belly dancing, blues songs of the 1920's, and Greek Mythology to root themselves in a tradition while paving the way for a whole new tradition for the future.
Lights will flare, and live blues music will be played, while at the same time the players onstage rewrite Pandora's tale and forge new traditions in an ever-changing genre of entertainment. Luminaire promises to light up the hearts, minds, and dreams of an audience stuck in the coldest, darkest part of the year.
Photo by Pixie Vision
Raqs Luminaire: The Return To Pandora's Box will take place at the Byrd Theatre on January 27th, 2013 at 3pm. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased in advance at RaqsLuminaire.com.