Contact: Suzanne Trimel For immediate use (212) 854-5573 smt4@columbia.eduMallika Sarabhai, the Indian dancer and choreographer, will present the U.S. premiere of her dance-drama on violence,V for..., Monday, May 5, at Columbia University's Miller Theatre. V for..., written and co-produced by Sarabhai and John Martin, explores violence in everyday life, focusing on victims and perpetrators. The writers pose the essential question: What are we so violent? By examining the psyche of the violator, they hope to get the audience thinking about the causes of violence, particularly how it emerges as a crutch to overcome insecurities and shortcomings. Sarabhai, a performer of classical Indian dance as well as an actress and choreographer, casts herself as the unisex Vidushak, a girl-man narrator inspired by the tradition of Sanskrit drama. The performance combines dance and dialogue on stage with video- produced images on screen of violent thoughts and actions and taped voices of advocates of non-violence, such as Gandhi and Martin Luther King. Sarabhai and Martin previously collaborated on Shukti- The Power of Women and Sita's Daughters , which examined images of Indian womanhood, dubunking cliches and celebrating examples of women who refuse to be downtrodden. The U.S. premier of V for... is sponsored by the Dharam Hinduja Research Center at Columbia and is part of a month-long series of films, lectures and exhibits on domestic violence in South Asia and in the South Asian immigrant community in New York. Tickets for the 8 P.M. performance are on sale at the Miller Theater box office, Broadway and 116th Street. (Tel.: 212-854-7799) Prices are $15 and $20 ($7 and $10 for students and seniors) Information about the center's activities is available by calling (212) 854-5300 or on the Internet at http://www.columbia.edu/cu/dhirc. 19,110 4.23.97
MALLIKA SARABHAI PERFORMS DANCE-DRAMA ON VIOLENCE MAY 5 AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY