As mother and daughter choreographers, Ranee and Aparna Ramaswamy explore the myth and spirituality of their Indian heritage through the lens of their experience as immigrants living within two cultures. Ragamala Dance Company is driven to share their vision of Bharatanatyam as a dynamic, living art form with audiences across boundaries of language, culture, and faith.

Ragamala Rooted is Ranee and Aparna’s community and audience engagement platform that publicly explores the inspirations and elements that make up Ragamala’s work through an innovative combination of experiential in-person events in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area and behind the scenes digital content to learn how and why Ragamala creates their work.

Each Ragamala Rooted series is organized around one repertory work to explore the inspirations and elements that make up both that piece specifically and Ragamala’s work as a whole.

Ragamala Rooted: Fires of Varanasi

Throughout the 2020-21 season, Ragamala is partnering with Northrop at the University of Minnesota, The Hopkins Center for the Arts at Dartmouth College, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and the Meany Center for the Performing Arts to present the following community engagement activities, leading up to performances of Fires of Varanasi in 2021-22:

Lineage
Short Film
June 18th, 2020

A short film that offers a window into Ranee Ramaswamy’s relationship with the art form of Bharatanatyam since immigrating to Minneapolis in 1978. From first meeting her teacher, Smt. Alarmel Valli, to exploring the work she has done - nationally and internationally - with her two daughters, Aparna and Ashwini, 'Lineage' offers a visually dynamic narrative of one of the first Bharatanatyam lineages in the U.S. This film was created in close collaboration with Caitlin Hammel, a Minnesota-based video artist who has filmed most of the performances within 'Lineage.'
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Ode to Shiva
Lincoln Center Concert for Kids
July 29th, 2020

In this #ConcertsForKids experience, get an inside look as Ranee, Aparna, and Ashwini Ramaswamy rehearse and explain how their approach to merging the tradition of an Indian dance form with their immigrant voices has created something unique and important in our complex world.
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#KeepDancing
SEASON LAUNCH KICK-OFF
SEPTEMBER 16th, 2020

A special virtual performance of excerpts from Fires of Varanasi. With the launch of our season, we celebrate live art and kick off a series of initiatives designed to inspire a sense of purpose, reflection, connection, and resilience.
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The Multinational Soul 
Virtual Artist Talk
October 13th, 2020 

Artistic Directors Ranee and Aparna Ramaswamy and renowned author Pico Iyer reflect on concepts of impermanence, joy, and sorrow through the lens of their shared Indian heritage.
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TEDxMinneapolis
Virtual Performance
October 24th, 2020

Ranee, Aparna, and Ashwini Ramaswamy share a series of solo performances as part of the TEDxMinneapolis 2020: Adaptation virtual sessions.
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Foods for the Souls 
Virtual Cooking Demonstration and Conversation 
November 5th, 2020

A cooking demonstration by James Beard Award-winning chef and author Raghavan Iyer, joined by Artistic Directors Ranee and Aparna Ramaswamy in a conversation about the interconnectedness of food, art, and ritual in India.
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Cultivating Creativity: A Conversation on Arts and Cultural Leadership
Artist Talk 
December 7th, 2020

Artistic Directors Ranee and Aparna Ramaswamy reflect upon their experience as pioneering women artists of color in Minnesota and provide vital insights for the next generation of cultural leaders.
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Talking to the Dead
An Interfaith Panel Discussion on Life and Death in the Diaspora
March, 2021

A virtual panel featuring members of Ragamala Dance Company and faith leaders from differing traditions.
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Bharatanatyam and Yoga: A Shared Connection
AN ALL-LEVELS YOGA CLASS
April, 2021

As an art form, Bharatanatyam demands the conscious understanding of body, mind and spirit; this often translates as the balance of multiple qualities within each movement: strength and flexibility, inner relaxation and focus. Ultimately, both Bharatanatyam and yoga ask the practitioner to find their inner divinity in order to transcend the distractions and obstacles of the physical world.

Presented by Northrop, this free, in-person and virtual workshop begins with an introduction by Ragamala’s Artistic Directors Ranee and Aparna Ramaswamy, followed by an all-levels yoga practice led by Aaron Asmundson, Program Director for Leadership Enrichment Programs at the University of MN. Bring your own yoga mat and wear comfortable clothes - or join from the comfort of your home!
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Ragamala Rooted: Fires of Varanasi is made possible in part through grants from the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; the National Endowment for the Arts; the Mardag Foundation; the F.R. Bigelow Foundation; the Marbrook Foundation; The Saint Paul Foundation; the City of St. Paul Cultural Sales Tax Revitalization Program; and 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.