A STORYTELLER and sitar player will return to Dorset with two extraordinary performances this February.

Emily Hennessey and Sheema Mukherjee will conjure up a vivid, wild and beguiling world in a retelling of the classic Indian epic, Ramayana.

Rama and Sita live in exile, with eyes watching their every move. When Sita is kidnapped by the 10-headed demon king, Rama needs all the help he get to rescue her, but there's one thing worse than a bloodthirsty demon: its big brother.

As Rama lies helpless on the battlefield, Sita's little known story begins to unfold.

For storyteller Emily, work and extensive travel in India have kindled a great love of Hindu mythology. Her experiences have been as varied as working with a yak-herding family on the Tibetan plateau, to studying Kathakali dance-drama in Kerala and spending several months at the Kattaikkuttu School in Tamil Nadu.

Emily is joined by sitar player Sheema, who composed for and performed in the 2016 staging of A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Globe Theatre. She has also collaborated with internationally renowned artists including Courtney Pine and Sir John Tavenor, and supported Jimmy Page and Robert Plant on tour.

The duo will perform Ramayana in Morden Village Hall near Poole on Saturday, February 1 at 7.30pm, and at Springhead Trust Fontmell Magna near Shaftesbury on Sunday, February 2 at 5pm.

Ahead of the Sunday performance, Emily and Sheema will also lead a storytelling and Indian music workshop from 2pm to 3.30pm.

For more information and for tickets, visit www.artsreach.co.uk