Scheherazade by Alonzo King, Music by Zakir Hussain After Rimsky-Korsakov

Scheherazade reimagines Rimsky-Korsakov's orchestral masterpiece through the lens of contemporary dance, transforming the symphonic narrative into a visual journey. Alonzo King's choreography engages with the music's exotic orientalism and dramatic storytelling, creating a dialogue between classical ballet vocabulary and modern movement sensibilities. The work explores themes of narrative power, survival, and the transformative nature of storytelling itself, as the legendary Scheherazade uses her tales to captivate and ultimately transcend her circumstances. Zakir Hussain's arrangement of Rimsky-Korsakov's score bridges traditional Indian classical music traditions with the Western symphonic framework, creating a hybrid sonic landscape that reflects the cultural hybridity of the source material.