Ragamala Dance Company Student Matinee Pre-event Video Transcript

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We welcome Ragamala Dance Company to the Northrop Stage!

• The world-renowned, award-winning, Ragamala Dance Company is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota!                  
• Rooted in the South Indian dance form of Bharatanatyam, the company has been hailed by The New York Times as “soulful, imaginative, and rhythmically contagious.”
• Ranee Ramaswamy has been a choreographer, performer, and teacher of Bharatanatyam in Minneapolis/St. Paul since 1978. She founded Ragamala Dance Company in 1992.
• Currently, Ranee and Aparna Ramaswamy lead the company together as Co-Artistic Directors with Choreographic Associate Ashwini Ramaswamy (mother and daughters).
• As first generation Indian-American artists, Ranee and Aparna explore the myth and spirituality of their Indian heritage.
• To the Ramaswamys, the South Indian dance form of Bharatanatyam is a living, breathing language with which to speak about the contemporary human experience.

Bharatanatyam 

Pronounced (BAH-rah-tah-NAT-yam)
(Bhava) - expression               
Ra (Raga) - melody
Ta (Talam) - rhythm
Natyam - dance

• The Indian dance system is the oldest and most comprehensive in the world, and Bharatanatyam is amongst the oldest of its classical forms.
• Originating in ancient temples of South India more than 2,000 years ago, the dance form integrates music, theater, poetry, sculpture, and literature.

Look for these Bharatanatyam postures in the performance!

• Arai Mandi: bent-kneed “half-sitting”
• Ulukku Nadai:a stylized, lilting walk
• Arambasthanam: beginning arm position
• Attami: subtle side-to-side movement of the head

Bharatanatyam is a blend of two aspects: Nritta and Abhinaya.

Nritta is "pure" dance. It uses a vocabulary of movements to create complex rhythmic patterns and intricate dances.

Abhinaya is the art of expression. It uses the entire body, which includes stances, rhythmic walking, and nearly 55 hastas (hand gestures).
 

About hastas (hand gestures)

In Nritta ("pure" dance), hand gestures are used to complement the body movements.

In Abhinaya (expressive dance), hand gestures are used like sign language to tell a story.  

Examples of hand gestures and their meanings:

• “Tirupatakam” (the pinky, middle and pointer fingers are straight up, and the ring finger and thumb are bent towards the palm) can be used to show a crown, a temple, the branch of a tree, or a mountain.
• “Patakam” (all fingers are straight up and the thumb is bent towards the palm) can be used to show a group of people, the sky, a book, a sword, a door, or a mirror.
   

Meet the Ragamala Dance Company Dancers 

• Aparna Ramaswamy, Ranee Ramaswamy, Ashwini Ramaswamy
• Chaitra Chandrashekar, Jessica Fiala, Sri Guntipally, Ramya Kapadia, Tamara Nadel, Radhika Naidu, Garrett Sour, Alan Tse

About the Performance

• You will see Ranee and Aparna Ramaswamy’s dance titled "Fires of Varanasi: Dance of the Eternal Pilgrim".
• Varanasi is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.
• Hindus believe that dying in Varanasi and being cremated along the Ganges River banks is where salvation becomes possible.
• In "Fires of Varanasi" the audience is taken on a meditative pilgrimage to Varanasi, to witness and experience this sacred Hindu ritual played out on stage.
• The city is known worldwide for its many ghats (steps leading down the steep river bank to the water) where pilgrims perform rituals.

Reflection Question: Does the lighting and stage setting bring to mind the river, and (ghats) steps leading down to the river? What mood or feeling is conveyed?

About the costumes, jewelry, and other accessories

The Bharatanatyam costumes that the dancers wear reflect the history and tradition of where the dance was originated.

Costume

• The costumes are made of colorful silk fabric containing borders embroidered with fine gold thread.
• For the pant style, there is a fan-like piece that is attached to both pant legs called pleats. The part that hugs the pants and the fan at the hip area is called the seat.
• South Indian dance jewelry is called “Temple Jewelry.” It is traditionally made of rubies, gold, and pearls.

Jewelry

• Chutti: the headpiece
• Sun and Moon: the jewels attached on top of the head on each side of the chutti
• Bangles: gold bracelets
• Mattal: the jewels attached to the earings and run over the ears
• Jimiki: the dangling jewels on earring
• Mukuthi: side nose ring
• Bullaku: center nose ring

Makeup

• Eyes: thick black eyeliner
• Cheekbones: red blush
• Lips: dark-colored shades of lipstick
• Pottu: dot on the forehead

Other Accessories

• Flowers: orange and white flowers are used to decorate the hair
• Bells: bells are made of brass and leather to accentuate the rhythm of the music
• Belt: used to define the hip of a dancer
   

Join us again for exciting dance and music!

• Third Coast Percussion with Art Movement Is on Apr 29

Acknowledgments

Thank you to our sponsor: RBC Wealth Management.

We gratefully acknowledge the support from:

• National Endowment for the Arts
• RBC Wealth Management
• PNC Bank

Northrop activities are 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.

Enjoy the Show!