@ NYM School Auditorium
Friday, May 17 @ 7:00 p.m.
Ragamala Dance Company
is based out of Minneapolis, MN and is run by the mother-daughter duo, Ranee (mother) and Aparna (daughter). Ragamala is inspired by the south Indian classical dance form Bharatanatyam. Ragamala was originally formed with the intent to make Indian dance more accessible to all audiences.
In their sensational performances, you will see a narrative aspect, a rhythmic aspect, and a creative art form that collaborates art from all around the world to create a spiritual and transcending capacity that is sure to leave you in awe!
Nocturne is the first major work to be conceived/choreographed by long-time Ragamala soloist Ashwini Ramaswamy. The enigma of night – which conceals and liberates, frightens and absolves – is the universe of ‘Nocturne.’ This work is inspired by the natural, emotional, and spiritual migrations that occur after nightfall, and examines the potency of night creatures, moods, and impulses. The work draws from the writings of Rabindranath Tagore, Jorge Luis Borges, the Tamil Sangam poets and the Vedas (sacred texts) to create a richly imagined world after dark.
“In the classical south Indian dance form of Bharatanatyam, the body is material ― an interlocking puzzle of pieces assembled to create otherworldly grace. The fingers splay and stretch apart, the heels flex as a dancer hops from side to side, and the eyes flicker with lively vitality. Aparna Ramaswamy, Artistic Director (along with her mother, Ranee) of the much respected Ragamala Dance company in Minneapolis, is a vision of sculptural lucidity whose dancing brings a full-bodied awareness to complex rhythms and shifts of dynamics. All the while, the strength of her purity is second nature ― both explicit and seemingly casual.”
— Gia Kourias, New York Times
“An enchanting journey—for one hour we are transported into an exquisite dream state.”
— Minneapolis Star Tribune
Ragamala’s work has been commissioned by the Walker Art Center, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland, the Krannert Center for Performing Arts at the University of Illinois, the Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), and Opening Nights Performing Arts at Florida State University, and has been developed in residence at the Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography (MANCC) and during an NPN residency at The Yard.
“The relationship between the music and dance is not only meant to be, it exemplifies what happens when artistic boundaries (real or artificial) are radically tested, if not knocked down all together.”
— Caroline Palmer, Minneapolis Star Tribune
“Ragamala has become the standard bearer of a singularly successful kind of hybridity, merging ancient traditions into high-end productions that are hard to resist.”
— Mallika Rao, The Huffington Post
The company has been recognized with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, National Dance Project, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, McKnight Foundation, Japan Foundation/New York, Minnesota State Arts Board, USArtists International, New Music/USA, MAP Fund, American Composers Forum, and a 2008 and 2016 Joyce Award from the Joyce Foundation.
Ragamala tours extensively, highlighted by the American Dance Festival, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Music Center of Los Angeles, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, International Festival of Arts & Ideas, University Musical Society at the University of Michigan, Just Festival (Edinburgh, U.K.) Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi(U.A.E), Sri Krishna Gana Sabha (Chennai), and National Centre for Performing Arts (Mumbai), among others. They also perform regularly in the Twin Cities at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis and the O’Shaughnessy at St. Catherine University in St. Paul.
PEEK AT THEIR DANCE STYLE RESERVE YOUR SEAT NOW“Ragamala shows how Indian forms can be some of the most transcendent experiences that dance has to offer. This is an excellent company.”
— Alastair Macaulay, The New York Times
This performance will be held at the NYM School Auditorium on Friday, May 17th, @ 7pm. All are invited to this performance. Students get in FREE! Adult tickets are just $5!
Thanks to the NYM School families & students for their support in bringing Ragamala to our school & community!
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.