The Company
“Our work re-frames the cultural specificity of Bharatanatyam, bringing the eloquence of the form to universal themes in order to move beyond the personal and spark a global conversation. It is this focus that allows our work to transcend barriers of culture, ethnicity, nationality and geography and speak to a broad audience.
With each project, we aim to find a new way to answer the question of what it means to be a 21st century American choreographer working within a classical, Indian tradition. In an era in which innovation is so often seen as a rejection of the past, we are committed to the philosophy that it is vital to retain roots in our collective history while reaching into the future.” —Ranee Ramaswamy and Aparna Ramaswamy, co-Artistic Directors
Acclaimed as one of the Diaspora’s leading Bharatanatyam ensembles, Ragamala Dance seamlessly carries this South Indian classical dance form into the 21st century.
Artistic Directors Ranee Ramaswamy and Aparna Ramaswamy see Bharatanatyam as a multi-dimensional art form—a dynamic, poetic language with which to convey their contemporary ideas. While deeply respectful of the classical tradition, their vision and approach have inspired numerous collaborative partnerships with international composers, choreographers, poets, playwrights, and artists.
Ragamala features soloist Aparna Ramaswamy, described as “both iconic and explosive…infusing the formal rigor of Bharatanatyam with fluid spontaneity and rock star allure.” (Dance Magazine, “25 to watch in 2010”) and “an enchantingly beautiful dancer” (The New York Times).
The company has toured throughout the United States and abroad to such venues as the Kennedy Center (Washington D.C.), New Jersey Performing Arts Center (Newark, NJ), Krannert Center (Urbana, IL), CalTech’s Beckman Theater (Los Angeles, CA), Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall (Sarasota, FL), Walker Art Center (Minneapolis, MN), Lied Center (Lawrence, KS), Bali Arts Festival (Bali, Indonesia), Festival of Spirituality and Peace (Edinburgh, U.K.), and Soorya Music and Dance Festival (Kerala, India).
