The Soraya is pleased to join forces with Zócalo Public Square whose mission is to connect people to ideas and to each other by examining essential questions in an accessible, broad-minded, and democratic spirit. Join us March 16th as we co-host this event that examines the topic of migration inspired by our upcoming world premiere of Ragamala Dance Company’s Fires of Varanasi: Dance of the Eternal Pilgrim.
To leave your birthplace behind and make a home elsewhere is to cross any number of boundaries—national and linguistic, religious and spiritual. While loss is an inevitable part of this journey, it’s not just about displacement; it is also a story of cultural change and celebration. Migrants and immigrants find new ways to balance assimilation and tradition—and to create entirely new identities. This reinvention happens at home and out in the world, and cuts across religion, food, and art. Its impact is as personal as it is global. How do people who are separated from their homelands reinvent cultural practices in their new communities? How does cultural identity change across generations and over time?
Ragamala Dance artistic directors, choreographers, and principal dancers Ranee Ramaswamy and Aparna Ramaswamy, writer and Science Fiction Poetry Association president Bryan Thao Worra, and USC Institute of Armenian Studies director Shushan Karapetian visit Zócalo to discuss how they are reimagining what home means.
Our in-person audience is invited to continue the conversation with our speakers and each other at a post-event reception with complimentary drinks and small bites.
Proof of vaccination (at least two weeks after the final dose) or a negative viral test with a valid form of ID will be required. Masks will be required at all times during your visit, except when eating and drinking.
