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NORTH AMERICAN Newsline MARCH 03, 2023 | The Indian Eye 19

Performing Arts Houston Presents Ragamala Dance Company

Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), Ranee Ramaswamy is Found- Council on the Arts, appointed by of her creative aesthetic. As Executive
Just Festival (Edinburgh, U.K.), Bali ing Artistic Director of Ragamala President Barack Obama. Her re- Artistic Director of Ragamala Dance
Arts Festival (Indonesia), Sri Krishna Dance Company. Her creative vision cent honors include a Guggenheim Company, Aparna has catalyzed a
Gana Sabha (Chennai, India), and is driven by a profound commitment Fellowship, Doris Duke Performing bold new vision for Bharatanatyam
National Centre for Performing Arts to the artistic lineage imparted to her Artist Award, Bogliasco Foundation in the diaspora. Her choreographic
(Mumbai, India), among others. through four decades of training un- Fellowship (Italy), Rockefeller Foun- work ranges from emotionally spa-
The word ‘Ragamala’ directly der legendary Bharatanatyam danc- dation Bellagio Center Research Fel- cious yet intimate solo presentations
translates to ‘garland of melodies.’ Ev- er/choreographer Padmabhushan lowship (Italy), United States Artists to large-scale, multidisciplinary the-
ery day in India, people string togeth- Smt. Alarmél Valli, intertwined with Fellowship, McKnight Distinguished atrical works. Her work has been
er garlands of flowers as offerings to a pioneering spirit of innovation and Artist Award, Bush Choreography commissioned and presented by the
the gods, hoping the deities will van- collaboration across culture and dis- Fellowship, and 14 McKnight Fellow- Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center,
quish the darkness and fill their life cipline. Since immigrating to the U.S. ships for Choreography and Interdis- Joyce Theater, Northrop, American
with radiance and meaning. Our work in 1978, Ranee has been a trailblazer, ciplinary Art, among others. Dance Festival, Silk Road Ensemble,
weaves together artistic and cultur- working tirelessly to create a place Aparna Ramaswamy is regard- and Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi,
al practices from past generations to for her culturally rooted work on the ed in the U.S. as one of the exem- among many others.
find new values within our current cir- major stages of the U.S. dance land- plary soloists in Bharatanatyam. As Performing Arts Houston (for-
cumstances. The garland represents scape. Her choreographic work has a choreographer, performer, and merly known as Society for the Per-
a collaborative ethos that unveils the been commissioned and presented by culture bearer, Aparna mines the forming Arts) connects audiences
synergies between people from every the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, artistic, philosophical, and intellectu- with exceptional artists through di-
walk of life, finding and forming a lan- Joyce Theater, Northrop, Walker Art al depths of her dance form with the verse performances and learning
guage that speaks across time and cul- Center, American Dance Festival, intent to evolve ancestral and cul- experiences. We ignite and cultivate
tural difference to probe the universal and Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi, tural knowledge in the diaspora as passion for the performing arts, ex-
aspects of humanity. Ragamala at 30 among many others. a catalyst for contemporary human ploring the vast landscape of artistic
continues to seek radiance and mean- In September 2021, Ranee’s thought. Her four decades of training expression to discover new under-
ing by connecting the ancient and Fires of Varanasi opened the Ken- in Bharatanatyam under legendary standing about ourselves, create com-
current ways in which we as human nedy Center’s 50th Anniversary cele- dancer/choreographer Padmabhu- munity, inspire dialogue, and enrich
beings engage the world around us. bration. Ranee serves on the National shan Smt. Alarmél Valli is the bedrock our world.

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