Ranee Ramaswamy

Ranee Ramaswamy has been a master teacher and performer of Bharatanatyam since 1978. Since 1984, she has been a disciple of Alarmél Valli, one of India’s greatest living masters. Ranee has worked with celebrated artists such as poet Robert Bly, jazz musician Howard Levy, legendary composer/ violinist Dr. L. Subramaniam, the Çudamani ensemble (Bali, Indonesia), and Wadaiko Ensemble Tokara (Nagano, Japan). Among her many grants and fellowships are 13 McKnight Artist Fellowships, a Bush Fellowship, and an Artist Exploration Fund grant from Arts International. Her work is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Dance Project, and the Japan Foundation. and has been commissioned by Zenon Dance Company, the University of Minnesota, the Walker Art Center, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and the American Composer’s Forum. Most recently, she has been chosen as the McKnight Foundation Distinguished Artist for 2011. Ranee and co-Artistic Director Aparna Ramaswamy were named the 2011 “Artist of the Year” by the Minneapolis Star Tribune.