POWER PLAY is based on tradition poetry and chants describing the Indian deities Kali and Shiva, concluding with the image Ardhanarishwara – the union of male and female archetypes. Using three powerful poetic compositions as the progenitor of vocal, melodic, and physical movement, POWER PLAY explores the outward attributes, inner qualities and emotive effects of these manifestations of universal power. Traditional poses and hand gestures/mudras from Indian classical dance vocabulary are carried into space using broad movements not included within the boundaries of any classical Indian dance styles. The immediacy of physical power, rising through the torso and involving breath and emotional intent, results in the embodiment rather than simple translation of the texts. This premier is funded in part by The Fund for Creative Communities, a grant administered by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.