Northrop Presents
Ragamala Dance Company
Children of Dharma
By Aparna, Ranee, and Ashwini Ramaswamy
Sat, Nov 2, 7:30 pm
Described as “soulful, imaginative, and rhythmically contagious” by The New York Times, Ragamala Dance Company presents the world premiere of Children of Dharma, a Northrop Centennial Commission. In this seamless blend of mesmerizing Bharatanatyam choreography, original music, and lush visuals, creators Aparna, Ranee, and Ashwini Ramaswamy take inspiration from Keerthik Sashidharan’s novel The Dharma Forest—a re-envisioning of the Indian/global epic The Mahabharata.
The rippling effects of dharma, or “right action,” are revealed wordlessly through the body. Featuring scenic and light design by famed French artist Willy Cessa, Children of Dharma illustrates the emotional, moral, and physical consequences exacted on and outside an epic battlefield.
“Dharma is unseen despite its presence everywhere. Like the fidelity of a shadow which vanishes but never leaves us, like a forgotten old love that shaped us into who we are, like a forest that nourishes all who live within without asking anything in return.”—Keerthik Sasidharan
Children of Dharma is commissioned by Northrop at the University of Minnesota, 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.
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.
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
