Posted on May 14, 2023
How a mother and her daughters created an innovative Indian dance company
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https://www.npr.org/2023/05/14/ [login to see] /mother-daughters-ramaswamy-created-indian-dance-company-ragamala-bharatanatyam
Ranee Ramaswamy believes her oldest daughter was put upon the planet to dance.
"We all talk about previous births and reincarnation," says Ramaswamy. When it came to her eldest, Aparna Ramaswamy, she had no doubt. "I think she was a dancer in her previous birth, so it was natural to her. From the age of 3 to now, she has never deviated."
So 30 years ago, Ranee founded the Ragamala Dance Company in Minneapolis, partly as a vehicle for her talented daughter. In the decades since, Ragamala has become famous among U.S. fans of India's oldest classical dance form, bharatanatyam. The dance company regularly gets rave reviews for the dancers' technical precision and spiritual transcendence, as well as for innovative collaborations with other artists.
Ranee Ramaswamy believes her oldest daughter was put upon the planet to dance.
"We all talk about previous births and reincarnation," says Ramaswamy. When it came to her eldest, Aparna Ramaswamy, she had no doubt. "I think she was a dancer in her previous birth, so it was natural to her. From the age of 3 to now, she has never deviated."
So 30 years ago, Ranee founded the Ragamala Dance Company in Minneapolis, partly as a vehicle for her talented daughter. In the decades since, Ragamala has become famous among U.S. fans of India's oldest classical dance form, bharatanatyam. The dance company regularly gets rave reviews for the dancers' technical precision and spiritual transcendence, as well as for innovative collaborations with other artists.
How a mother and her daughters created an innovative Indian dance company
Posted from npr.org
Dancing
India
Heritage
Culture
Posted 12 mo ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Mother Ranee Ramaswamy recently turned 71, but she says she has no intention of leaving the stage anytime soon.
"The one thing, to have two daughters in the company, is that they will tell me when I should get out, I am confident," she says, laughing. "Because you can't trust others! They'll just tell you, 'Oh, you look good.' But I know I have two people who will tell me, 'Mom, you should stop' — then I will stop."
Until then, mother and daughters will continue to dance together, evoking the divine and urging each other on to greater heights."
..."Mother Ranee Ramaswamy recently turned 71, but she says she has no intention of leaving the stage anytime soon.
"The one thing, to have two daughters in the company, is that they will tell me when I should get out, I am confident," she says, laughing. "Because you can't trust others! They'll just tell you, 'Oh, you look good.' But I know I have two people who will tell me, 'Mom, you should stop' — then I will stop."
Until then, mother and daughters will continue to dance together, evoking the divine and urging each other on to greater heights."
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