Special Performances Celebrate the Final Weeks of “Beyond Bollywood”
The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center will present “Living Beyond Bollywood,” a play inside the “Beyond Bollywood: Indian Americans Shape the Nation” exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. Performed by the South Asian Performing Arts Network Institute (The SAPAN Institute), the award-winning play features six scenes for 35 minutes representing 200 years of history. Performances will begin Saturday, July 25, and take place inside the “Beyond Bollywood” exhibition, which details the history of Indian Americans and their contributions to the United States. The exhibition closes Aug. 16.
The SAPAN Institute will perform six short scenes that bring to life stories from the exhibition to encourage conversation about how participants think about Indian American communities, race, identity and immigration. The performances will take place inside the exhibition itself and are free and open to the public. Tickets are not required. The exhibition is located on the second-floor special exhibitions area of the National Museum of Natural History.
The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center’s exhibition “Beyond Bollywood” features Indian Americans’ migration experiences, working lives, political struggles and cultural and religious contributions. Highlighted artifacts include a dress worn by First Lady Michelle Obama designed by Indian American Naeem Khan; the 1985 National Spelling Bee trophy awarded to the first Indian American winner, Balu Natarajan; and Mohini Bhardwaj’s 2004 Olympic Silver Medal for gymnastics.
“Living Beyond Bollywood” Performance Schedule
Saturday, July 25: 12 p.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 1: 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 8: 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 15: 12 p.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m.
More information about “Beyond Bollywood” programming is available here.
About the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center
Established in 1997, the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center is a national resource for discovering the consequence and complexity of the Asian Pacific American experience through collaboration, exhibitions, programs and digital experiences. Follow the center on Twitter: @SmithsonianAPA.
About the South Asian Performing Arts Network and Institute
The SAPAN Institute is a Washington, D.C.-based, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and presentation of all South Asian performing art forms, including dance, music and theater. The mission of the organization is to provide a leading forum and distinguished network for the global education, collaboration, advancement and celebration of South Asian performance arts and performing artists.
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