Northrop Presents
Ragamala Dance Company
Children of Dharma
By Aparna, Ranee, and Ashwini Ramaswamy
World Premier
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.
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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
Related Event(s)
Related Links
Know Before You Go
Event Information
- Seating: Ticket required
- 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.
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?
