A fiery Layla and Majnun première by the Silk Road Ensemble and Mark Morris Dance Group

A fiery Layla and Majnun première by the Silk Road Ensemble and Mark Morris Dance Group

Across the open and darkened stage the lights of small lamps flicker. At the back of the stage stretches an eight-foot-wide platform, and from that platform run two more ‘runways’ at a lower level. The stepped platforms fashion a squared-off C-shape pushed against the outer edges of the stage. In the center of the C is a shorter platform, with just enough room for two people to sit crosslegged, facing the audience, and sing.