Aparna Ramaswamy

Born in India and raised in the U.S., Aparna Ramaswamy is a protégé of legendary Bharatanatyam artist Alarmél Valli, one of India’s greatest living masters. Described as “a marvel of buoyant agility and sculptural clarity” (Dance Magazine), “thrillingly three-dimensional,” and “an enchantingly beautiful dancer,” (The New York Times), Aparna and has been featured at prestigious venues throughout the United States and abroad, both as a soloist and as principal dancer with Ragamala. She has been awarded several honors, including two McKnight Artist Fellowships, a Bush Fellowship, an Arts and Religion grant funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, two Jerome Foundation Travel Study Grants, an Artist Exploration Fund grant from Arts International, the Lakshmi Vishwanathan Endowment Prize from Sri Krishna Gana Sabha (Chennai, India), and the Sage Award for Best Dancer (Minneapolis). Aparna’s work is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Dance Project, and the Japan Foundation, and has been commissioned by the American Composer’s Forum, the Walker Art Center and the Southern Theater. In 2010, she was the first Bharatanatyam artist to be selected as one of “25 to Watch” by Dance Magazine. Aparna and co-Artistic Director Ranee Ramaswamy were recently named the 2011 “Artist of the Year” by the Minneapolis Star Tribune.