A Woman’s Mind, is a live dance-music-storytelling show based on the tale of Ahalya, a mythological female character from the Indian epic Ramayana. Ahalya was created by Brahma as an impossibly beautiful woman. A besotted Indra seduces her in the guise of Gautama, her husband. Although Ahalya sees through his deception, she chooses to submit to her passions, only to face its dire consequences.

Conceived and performed by Shereen Saif in collaboration with dramaturg Michael Harvey and musicians Jogiraj Sikidar and Prashant Yeware, the show interweaves classical dance and music with contemporary storytelling to spotlight a woman who was deviant from the cultural image that was construed for women of her times. Through a retelling of this ancient myth of Ahalya, the production explores traditional values in a modern world through the themes of: love and loyalty, marriage and morals, desire and deceit, rage, revenge and repentance.

Language: English
Audience: 18+
Duration: 60mins

The project won the Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation's production grant in 2021.

Programme:

Lands and Legends – From Taliesin to Tripura
Lecture Performance | Shereen Saif & Michael Harvey
5PM | 17 September 2022
Jossa by Alserkal
Presented by Alserkal Avenue

Many threads, One tapestry
Artist Talk | Shereen Saif
7PM | 21 September 2022
Common Room
Presented by Alserkal Avenue

A Woman's Mind Performance | Shereen Saif
23-25 September 2022
The Junction
Presented by The Junction and supported by Alserkal Avenue