Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.
So danced the three evil witches.

And they will dance again when Macbeth – Oriental Ballet goes on the boards at the Lionel Wendt this month. Presented by the dancers of the Ravibandhu – Samanthi dance ensemble, the production which is based on William Shakespeare’s timeless play Macbeth, takes you on a journey through the fantastic world of dance and music where forces of good and evil battle it out.

The story has been effectively adapted to a local setting without losing its original idea with ninety percent of it in Sri Lankan dance forms with local drums. The décor reflects the gloomy atmosphere of the story, while the music by Pradeep Ratnayake promises to set the tone and add colour to the ballet.

“I was interested in doing an oriental ballet. There are such dark and deep themes in Macbeth and when I was reading it, I also realized how timeless these themes are,” well-known dancer and drummer Ravibandhu Vidyapathy said.

Macbeth – Oriental Ballet will go on the boards on July 19 and 20 at the Lionel Wendt Theatre from 7 p.m. onwards.

An exhibition of dance photography by Indika Fernando will be held at the Lionel Wendt Art Gallery on July 18, 19 and 20 to coincide with the ballet.