Critical Acclaim for Sva(Vital Force) at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival

In August, Ragamala was invited to perform at the Festival of Spirituality and Peace at St. John's Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland. The festival is part of the Edinburgh International Fringe Festival, which is the largest fringe festival in the world. With funding from the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, 7 Ragamala company members and two drummers from Wadaiko Ensemble Tokara from Japan traveled to present four performances. Our esteemed audience included Mr. Arun Gandhi, grandson of the late Mahatma Gandhi, the Consul General and the Consul of Scotland to India. From audiences to presenters to reviewers, we received a marvelous response to the show:

"[Aparna] Ramaswamy knows Bharatanatyam inside and out, completely absorbing herself in the movement. The gold silk of her costume blends with the ornate surroundings, while her intricate eye and hand gestures juxtapose with the enormity of the architecture. Her solo is followed by a more gentle work by her mother before we hear the energetic drumming of superb Japanese duo, Tokara. A dramatic finish" -The Scotsman

"The performers are masters of their art. This may be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Catch them while you can. If you don't, you'll probably either live to regret it or probably never know what you've missed. I don't know which is worse." -The Fringe Review full review

"The show was brilliant." -Dance Base, Scotland's National Dance Center

"the programme was very powerful and choreographically excellent, blending the best of Indian dance with contemporary influence." -Scottish Arts Council

"[Aparna Ramaswamy] was incredible and has a rare talent, she really shone on stage and life really flowed from her. I enjoy ballet and contemporary dance and can honestly say hers was the best dancing I've ever seen, congratulations. So glad I caught the show, the mix of taiko and dance was fabulous and please return to Scotland soon!" -Audience email response