Ragamala Dance Company

Ragamala Dance Company is an independent dance company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It was founded in 1992 by Ranee Ramaswamy and David Whetstone. Ragamala collaborates with national and international artists of various disciplines. Their performances take place locally in Minneapolis, on national tours around the United States, in India, Europe, and other locations.[1][2][3][4]

History

Ranee Ramaswamy was born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, and was raised in the Hindu tradition there.[5] Ragamala combines the ancient dance form of Bharatanatyam with contemporary aesthetics via collaboration.[6] Ragamala's dance technique was honed within the teachings of Alarmel Valli, which emphasizes rhythm and expression.[7]

Their first production was at Great American History Theater with sitarist-composer David Whetstone, in January of 1994. The performance was structured around stated lines of poetry, and drumming of the tabla, to which Ranee Ramaswamy, Aparana Ramaswamy and the other dancers performed "ragas" or units of movement related to those lines of poetry. Whetstone read the poetry and explained the dance in that initial performance[8] Ranee Ramaswamy translated the pure Bharatanatyam dance into something western audiences could more easily appreciate by collaborating with other artists and other art forms, deftly sifting experimental approaches into that ancient dance discipline.[9]

The company puts together funding for specific collaborative works from a variety of sources including commissions and grants with collaborative partners including Walker Art Center, Theater Mu, the Miami University Performing Arts Series, Arts Midwest, National Endowment for the Arts, McKnight Foundation, Bush Foundation, General Mills Foundation, Land O'Lakes Foundation and others. [2][10][7][4]

Works

Ranee Ramaswamy and her daughter, Aparna Ramaswamy are artistic directors as well as principal dancers of the company. The choreography of Ragamala is rooted in the south Indian classical dance style of Bharatanatyam. Ragamala's works include intercultural, collaborative pieces that incorporate other dance forms including sign language, Jazz, Japanese Drumming and Poetry. Other members of the company include Ashwini Ramaswamy (Aparna's sister), Tamara Nadel and Jessica Fiala. [11][1][10][3]

One of Ragamala's recent works includes “Written in Water" which is based on Paramapadam, the original game that 'Snakes and Ladders' is based on; and a Sufi poem about enlightenment called The Conference of the Birds, from the 12th-century.[12][13][5]

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References
  1. Preston, Rohan (September 22, 2006). "onstage – Moving Indoors: Ragamala's reterrling of a grand Hindu epic has been to Bali and back". Star Tribune. p. F8.
  2. Preston, Rohan (September 23, 2011). "onstage – 'Earth' dance: Ragamala Dance expands its repertoire with a world premiere based on Indian art and philosophy". Star Tribune. p. E7.
  3. "Ragamala combines Indian dance, Japanese drumming". The Star Press. Muncie, Indiana. February 26, 2004. p. 7.
  4. Preston, Rohan (June 2, 2002). "onstage – News & Notes: Delayed trip to Russia is back on for Ragamala". Star Tribune. p. F3.
  5. Wren, Celia (November 1, 2018). "Theater & Dance- Dance company Ragamala elevates Snakes and Ladders to spiritual heights". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  6. Mathur, Preeti (2019). From Seven Rivers to Ten Thousand Lakes – Minnesota’s Indian American Community. Minnesota Historical Society Press. p. 63.
  7. "Life- Ragamala Dance to perform at Miami". The Journal News. Hamilton, Ohio. March 30, 2012. p. D3.
  8. Steele, Mike (January 11, 1994). "A beautiful oasis- Ragamala Dance Theater adds grace to poetry". Star Tribune. p. 3E.
  9. Steele, Mike (December 28, 1994). "Dance – New works cross many boundaries". Star Tribune. p. 1E, 6E.
  10. Espeland, Pamela (May 13, 2014). "Indian Fusion – Ancient meets modern at the Walker this week, as our renowned Indian dance troupe Ragamala joins forces with a New York Jazz Star". Star Tribune. p. E1, E3.
  11. Burke, Siobhan (August 8, 2014). "Dance Review: Sacred Music and Movement With an Infectious Beat". The New York Times.
  12. Warnecke, Lauren (January 12, 2019). "In Harris Theater debut, Ragamala Dance shows the metaphor and mythology in a board game – and is pure fun to watch". The Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  13. "Best Dance Company – Ragamala Dance Company". City Pages. Minneapolis, Minnesota. 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
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