For her first full-length work of dance theater, Lakshmi Ramgopal presents Some Viscera, a body of sound and movement that braids together autobiography, historical narrative, and the sweep of epic storytelling. Inspired by the death of her maternal grandmother, the births of her nieces, and her own ambivalent relationship to motherhood, Ramgopal’s most ambitious work to date explores childhood, nostalgia, and memory in the Indian-American diaspora in the wake of India’s independence. She and her ever-changing cast of collaborators draw on Carnatic music, classical Indian dance, ballet, medieval Sanskrit and early 20th century Tamil poetry, Baroque chamber music, and free improvisation. Together, they perform a series of rich, intimate works that reflect on how a diaspora shapes itself through art, ritual, and the natural environment.

Some Viscera sits within the conceptual frame of the arangetram, a Tamil word meaning “ascending the stage.” A celebrated yet fraught rite of passage, the arangetram is the arduous, long-form, solo performance through which students of classical Indian dance and music debut as mature artists. Through this frame, Ramgopal simultaneously salutes the beauty and critiques the hegemonic power of “the classical,” and the institutions and mores that govern it.

Some Viscera premieres on September 26-27, 2024 at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago with Ramgopal in the roles of director, composer, choreographer, vocalist, musician, and dancer. She will be joined by a multidisciplinary ensemble starring Asha Rowland, Erica Miller, Johanna Brock, Ben Zucker, Lucy Little, Kinnari Vora, Shalaka Kulkarni, and Tuli Bera. Purchase tickets here.

In December, following the premiere, the music of Some Viscera will appear as a standalone album featuring Ramgopal, Asha Rowland, Erica Miller, Johanna Brock, and Ben Zucker.