CHICAGO: Natya Dance Theater, a Chicago-based dance company dedicated to the celebration of classical Indian dance and its reinterpretation for contemporary audiences, will present the world premiere of Alakshaya: The Invisible Veil in Chicago next month.

Created and choreographed by the mother/daughter team of Hema and Krithika Rajagopalan, Alakshaya: The Invisible Veil asks the question, "Are we in control of our desires or are desires in control of us?" Using the traditional movement and vocabulary of the 3000-year-old dance form Bharata Natyam, the piece invites the audience to query their reactions to such contemporary themes as genocide, terrorism and war. Inspired by Chicago and its diversity, Alakshaya: The Invisible Veil tells its story through dance, live music and theatrical spectacle.

"Alakshaya is a Sanskrit word meaning invisible and in this work, we are using it as a metaphor for the invisible veils that mediate our relationships," said artistic director Hema Rajagopalan. "We chose Alakshaya for the universality for its theme," adds associate artistic director Krithika Rajagopalan. "The idea that our desires and our values are at odds with each other are not specific to a single people, nation or color and yet, we blind ourselves to wrong actions. These pieces ask why it is that we overlook wrongdoing."

The Chicago premiere will be at the Dance Center of Columbia College March 15, 16 and 17 at 8 pm. The piece will be presented again at McAninch Arts Center of College of DuPage, Fawell and Park Blvds. in Glen Ellyn, Friday March 30 at 8 pm; and Elgin Community College, in Elgin, Saturday, April 14 at 7:30 p.m.

Natya Dance Theater was founded in 1975 and its contemporary style uses dynamic body movement, rhythmic footwork, hand gestures and facial expressions to convey meaning and emotion to create rasa, the aesthetic experience that transforms the audience.