Northrop Presents
Ragamala Dance Company
Children of Dharma
By Aparna, Ranee, and Ashwini Ramaswamy
Past event
Nov 02, 2024
Ragamala Dance Company presents the world premiere of Children of Dharma, a Northrop Centennial Commission, which builds upon decades of the company’s pioneering work centering ancestral wisdom, artistic excellence, and creativity to contextualize the immigrant experience. Ragamala continues to “show how Indian forms can be some of the most transcendent experiences that dance has to offer” (The New York Times) by upholding dance as a spiritual practice that can inspire, heal, and transform communities.
Created by mother-daughters Bharatanatyam artists Aparna Ramaswamy, Ranee Ramaswamy, and Ashwini Ramaswamy, Children of Dharma explores life—forever sprouting, transforming, dissolving, and renewing—through three characters from the Hindu epic The Mahabharata. These myths reveal the power of ancient cultures to reaffirm humanity’s relationship with nature and the sacred.
The work provokes a visceral response to crises over the ages, from environmental devastation and oppression to unjust wars. Why does war unleash the animal in man? What have we done to our relationship with the natural world?
Through lush visual imagery, an original recorded score, and poetic movement integrating intimate solos with powerful ensemble choreography performed by seven dancers, Children of Dharma reveals the power of ancient cultures to unearth some of the most enduring questions of conscience facing humanity.
Celebrated lighting and set designer Willy Cessa (renowned for his work with Compagnie C de la B) will provide the lighting and set design for Children of Dharma.
Children of Dharma is commissioned by Northrop, the Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center at Auburn University, and The Joyce Theater Foundation's Stephen and Cathy Weinroth Fund for New Work.
Know Before You Go
Event Information
- Seating: Ticket required
- Lobby Activities: 6:30 pm
- Theater Doors Open: 7:00 pm
- Performance Begins: 7:30 pm
- Tickets: Check the email you provided when you placed your order to locate your digital ticket. Be sure to check your spam or junk mail folders if you do not see them.
- Detailed Event Information: Find Your Event Info link on your order confirmation or check your email within 48 hours for detailed information from Northrop, U of M
If you need assistance with your tickets, please call 612-624-2345, email umntix@umn.edu.
Pre-Show Activities Begin at 6:30 pm
Sari Stories
Join us for Sari Stories, an artistic exhibit curated by Anju Kataria, Founder & Owner of Khazana Gallery, featuring Ranee Ramaswamy’s mother’s sari collection. Learn about Raksha Bandhan, the Hindu festival of protection, and get to know some of the main characters in The Mahabharata, which inspired Ragamala Dance Company’s Children of Dharma.
Learn more about Khazana Gallery (2225 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis)
India Association of Minnesota Affinity Event
Interested in connecting before the show? Join India Association of Minnesota (IAM) and UMN’s Indian Student Association (ISA) in Northrop’s west study lounge (first level) to learn more about Indian arts and culture events on campus and in the community. Enjoy classical costumes of Bharatanatyam, try on a sari yourself, and join the Indian American community in celebrating the return of Ragamala to the Northrop stage for this world premiere performance! Please click here to RSVP for this affinity event.
Affinity Events are designed to bring people with similar interests or backgrounds together before performances and to facilitate connections and a sense of belonging for those new to Northrop.
Learn more about India Association of Minnesota.
Voluntary Survey
Northrop and Ragamala are participating in the Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6) study of the economic and social impact of the arts on the seven-county metro area, conducted by Americans for the Arts along with Creative Minnesota/Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, in partnership with the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council.
You may be approached in the Northrop Lobby before or after the Ragamala performance to request your participation. This report is vital in our advocacy around MN Legacy funding, among other things. Your help is appreciated, but is completely voluntary.
Articles and More
Quotes / Reviews
“Ragamala shows how Indian forms can be some of the most transcendent experiences that dance has to offer. An excellent company.”—The New York Times
“Ranee and Aparna Ramaswamy ground their creations in Bharatanatyam's vast lexicon in thrilling detail.”—The Financial Times
“A wholly magnificent piece of live art.”—The Chicago Tribune
“Ragamala imbues the South Indian dance form of Bharatanatyam with a thoroughly contemporary exuberance...a visionary approach to an ancient art form.”—Dance Magazine
“A singular and transformative work...we are spirited away, and then we return, forever changed by—and grateful for—the experience.”—Star Tribune
“Soulful, imaginative, and rhythmically contagious”—The New York Times
You might enjoy this performance if you loved:
Past Northrop Ragamala performances, including Feb 2022’s Fires of Varanasi, and Ashwini Ramaswamy and Kevork Mourad’s Invisible Cities.
Explore Single Ticket Discounts Galore*
- First Year/Free Ticket for new UMN students and staff/faculty
- $5 off for students and many others
- Children 17 and under: 50% off base price, always
- $30 under 30: 2 tickets per valid ID + one free beverage per ticket
- 20% off tickets for groups of 10 or more
*Some exclusions apply.
Create Your Own Package
Our flexible, Create Your Own package lets you choose your experiences from any three or more in-person events from the 2024-25 Northrop Season and save 15%! Subscribers enjoy:
- Savings of 15%—when you buy three+ 2024-25 Northrop Season events
- Early prepaid parking reservations—order when you purchase tickets
- Invites to exclusive, behind-the-scenes events
- Flexibility at no extra cost—get unlimited free ticket exchanges
- Our appreciation for supporting Northrop programming and Centennial Commissions! Your purchase helps make a difference.
Learn More - Explore These Themes
The content below derives from the Northrop Across Campus Program that supports Northrop's mission towards intersections between performing arts and education for the benefit of all participants now and for generations to come.
Find ways to make thematic connections to these suggested topics:
Dance: Contemporary, Classical Indian Dance, Bharatanatyam
World Literature
History of India
Hinduism
World Religions
Poetry
Iron Age
Historical Dynasties
These resources provide additional information about the performers, the history of the art form, and the artistic process, allowing you to dive deeper.
Links:
Ragamala Dance Company website
NPR: “How a mother and her daughters created an innovative Indian dance company” article
Kennedy Center Bharatnatyam video
Start a conversation about the performance or encourage reflection, using these questions as inspiration.
According to NPR, “Ragamala has become famous among U.S. fans of India's oldest classical dance form, Bharatanatyam … a sacred form of dance designed to evoke a sense of spiritual bliss and that's demanding to perform. It combines precise footwork, hand gestures, facial expressions, and even eye movements.”
- What role does dance play in cultural identity?
- Are there cultural or spiritual traditions that connect you to your ancestors or heritage?
- How can dance connect people from an identity group across diaspora?
According to their vision statement, “Ragamala engages in a collaborative practice with myriad artists and aesthetics and is rooted in the idea of Bharatanatyam as a dynamic living tradition.”
- How do cultural, spiritual, and artistic traditions change over time? How do they remain the same?
- How does intercultural collaboration affect art, artists, and audiences?
- Do you or your family engage in any cultural traditions, which you’ve adapted over time?
Children of Dharma explores life - forever sprouting, transforming, dissolving, and renewing - through three characters from the Hindu epic The Mahabharata; these myths reveal the power of ancient cultures to reaffirm humanity’s relationship with nature and the sacred. Guided by the Ramaswamys' iconic synthesis of cultural context, lush visual imagery, physical mastery, and truthful emotion, this multidisciplinary experience mines India's enduring ancient wisdom.
- How do you imagine literary elements (characters, themes, stories) could be incorporated into dance? How about another art form like music or sculpture?
- If you were to adapt a classic work of literature like The Mahabharata for a contemporary audience, what values would guide your adaptation? What do you imagine are the opportunities and challenges of adapting a renowned work?
Ragamala Dance Company, founded in Minneapolis by Ranee Ramaswamy, celebrated its 30th Anniversary in 2023. Ranee and her daughter Aparna are co-artistic directors, and Ashwini Ramaswamy, Ranee's youngest daughter, is a company dancer, choreographer, and communications director. In her article “How a Mother and Her Daughters Created an Innovative Indian Dance Company,” Marianne Combs writes, "Each woman brings a specific set of talents to the family business. If Aparna is the head of the company and Ranee is its soul, then Ashwini is, perhaps, its heart.”
- Imagine working with your parent and/or sibling in a professional context. What opportunities and challenges do you imagine you might experience? Would working for or with your mother or sister be different than working with male family members?
- How do you think familial relationships affect artists and the art they create?
- Is there a career or creative endeavor you could imagine yourself pursuing for the next 30 years?
Related Event(s)
Acknowlegments
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
Sponsored by PNC Bank
Hospitality Partner Graduate Hotel Minneapolis
