Ektaa Center & Arpana Dance Academy Presents The Color of her Heart, Irvine CA

What do women across the world share as experiences? Whatever the colour of their skins, whatever their language and culture, the single identity that leads to their exploitation and violence against them is their gender. They are used to settle scores, bodies used to regain honour. They are baby machines who must please men to exist, to survive. And with right wing views, religious intolerance and political storms in the 21st century, the forms of their exploitation and its depth seem to be on the rise.

In Colours of the Heart Mallika Sarabhai - dancer, activist, choreographer, columnist, speaker; and Samia Malik - lyricist, composer, painter, singer and a British Pakistani, come together to bring the pains, travails and victories of women of all nations, the bonding and the sisterhood that is spreading across nations, giving women strength and courage, and a feeling of belonging. With songs in Urdu and English, and stories that are both personal and universal, the piece draws you into the world of women and their lives.

Choreography: Mallika Sarabhai | Vocals & Music: Samia Malik | Music Arrangement: Jayan Nair I Lighting Design: Yadavan Chandran

Group size: 6 | Language: English | 70 mins without intermission