The reign of Mughal emperor of India Akbar the Great was more than four centuries ago, but for Dances of India President Nartana Premachandra, the story of his court — and its welcoming of all nationalities, religions and perspectives — is as salient as ever.
“In our society now, everyone's retreating to their groups, whatever they identify with. I was born in the U.S., and I don't remember it being so tribal [before]. I love that Akbar wasn't tribal,” she said. “There was fighting and battles — he was not a saint by any means — but in terms of his open-mindedness and willingness to learn from different traditions, it's extraordinary.”
With her original dance-theater production, “Nine Jewels: Music, Art, & Splendor in the Court of Akbar the Great,” Premachandra hopes to bring Akbar’s story to new audiences. In doing so, she aims to foster greater curiosity and understanding at a time when things feel increasingly divisive.
“I hope we always learn to be humble, to learn from people [and] learn about other languages and cultures. There's so much joy in that,” she said.
The production is part of Dances of India’s 48th annual performance Friday and Saturday at the Skip Viragh Center for the Arts in Creve Coeur. The show will also feature classical Indian dance numbers from students, guest artists and Sanjay Shantaram, a professional singer from India.
St. Louis actor Isaiah Di Lorenzo will portray Akbar in “Nine Jewels.” Di Lorenzo was first introduced to Indian dance in the 1990s, when Premachandra’s mother was a guest artist in one of his college classes. Decades later, Premachandra invited him to revisit Indian dance for her 2024 production, “Dreams of the Dark Prince.”
“It blows my mind to watch these dancers move in this form. It's so specific and so beautiful,” he said.
As someone who comes to Indian dance from the outside, Di Lorenzo said it’s a privilege to be invited to participate in Premachandra’s show.
“It's literature, dance, drama, poetry and education,” he said. “It’s truly one of a kind.”
For more on Akbar’s court, Indian dance and the St. Louis dance company’s nearly 50-year history, listen to St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube or click the play button below.
Related Event
What: "Nine Jewels: Music, Art, & Splendor in the Court of Akbar the Great"
When: Nov. 14-16
Where: Skip Viragh Center for the Arts, 425 S. Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63131
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Darrious Varner is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
