Pangea World Theater’s current theatrical production, “Conference of the Birds,” could very well be termed a work of dance-theater, as movement is such an integral part of it.

Based on a 12th-century Sufi poem by Farid Ud-Din Attar adapted by Meena Natarajan, the two-hour work (without intermission) includes a cast of 10 actors/movers, each of whom represents a totemic bird (blue heron, owl, nightingale) with a particular set of concerns or conflicts. The issue at stake? Whether to seek out their King, Simorgh, who lives across many deserts and valleys.

To see a video about the making of the work, go here.

With the hoopoe (a symbol of inspiration) as their guide, these birds bob and flutter through their unwillingness to leave behind riches, people or places, before coming together as one force that swarms, glides and soars in unison over imaginary perils—from dry heat to fatigue.

The actors also take turns enacting a variety of human tales about the kinds of power royalty wield over their subjects. Seemingly every human fault—from avarice and attachment to pride and prejudice—is portrayed in these vignettes. It’s an age-old message and a wearying catalog of character flaws, whether the earnest multi-cultural, multi-generational cast portrays them with deft professionalism or with the hearty amateur sincerity.

Nonetheless, through an abstracted movement vocabulary, spoken dialogue, simple costumes and live music (Dan Rein and Aida Shahghasemi), the actors (under the direction of Dipankar Mukherjee) conjure up mythical worlds both human and avian that intersect to convey a belief common to many religions: That through a rigorous process of shedding oneself, one finds God lives within oneself.

Through March 27, 7:30 p.m. Avalon Theater, 1500 E. Lake St., Minneapolis. $12-$15. (612) 203-1088.