Mens Rea explores the concept of shape-shifting, set against the background of the Indian epic Ramayana. Shifting between three of its principal characters Jatayu, Sita and Ravana, Handa explores how their changing intentions trigger physical and emotional transformations. Jatayu (a demi-god vulture) attempts to rescue Sita (the wife of the god Rama) but is captured and mutilated by Ravana (a shap
e-shifting demon). Handa and mentor Marilyn Miller visited Indigenous elders in the remote communities of Laura and Yarrabah in far north Queensland to conduct the initial research. He observed Aboriginal ceremonies, where dancers apply ochre and wear the feathers or skin of their animal guardians, while adopting the grace and form of the animal they have become. For the Indian perspective, Handa consulted his family on the story of Sita’s theft and the characters in Ramayana. Captivated by the story, he studied the triggers that initiate transformation, the physical changes that result from these transformations, and the emotions the transformations elicit. To explore shape-shifting on a modern technological level, Handa worked with artists at Melbourne’s Deakin Motion Lab to create and develop virtual characters that come to life onstage. Handa's dance aesthetic is influenced by his Indian heritage, and experiences with Australian contemporary dance and Australian indigenous dance over many years. Using his unique movement qualities to inform the characters and personas of Mens era, Handa ventures into the treacherous terrain of personal and ethical boundaries and the consequences of crossing the line.
