Photo provided by Ragamala Dance, Ed Bock photographer.
Oxford, Ohio- Named 2011 Artists of the Year by the Minneapolis Star Tribune, artistic directors Ranee and Aparna Ramaswamy bring Ragamala Dance: Sacred Earth to Miami University at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 1st at Hall Auditorium, Oxford Ohio in a performance in which Ragamala dances the ancient Indian temple art form, Bharatanatyam, against a vivid backdrop of painted prayers of Warli paintings, on a stage covered with ephemeral Kolam rice flour drawings.
Ragamala’s Sacred Earth transforms the stage into a sacred space. The stunning dancers give physical form to the spiritual expression of the Warlis and Kolams, illustrating the ephemeral nature of our existence and celebrating the ongoing, ever-renewing cycle of life. The seven dancers of Ragamala are trained in Alermel Valli’s style of Bharatanatyam, which is distinguished by its emphasis on linear geometry and structure, complexity of rhythm, and the subtlety and depth of expression.
Ragamala Dance will be on campus and in the community several days visiting classes, senior centers, and working with students and community members through lectures, demonstrations and discussions of the art form and culture.
Ragamala Dance is presented by the Miami University Performing Arts Series and sponsored by the Center for American and World Cultures, the Ford Family Initiative on Spiritual Meaning and Purpose, and The Knolls of Oxford. This presentation is supported by the Performing Arts Fund, a program of Arts Midwest, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional contributions from the Ohio Arts Council, General Mills Foundation, and Land O’Lakes Foundation. The presentation of Ragamala Dance: Sacred Earth was made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and additional funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Boeing Company Charitable Trust. Media partners 88.5 WMUB and 91.7 WVXU. Tickets are $18 for adults, $17 for senior citizens, and $6 for students and youth. For tickets or more information, go online to http://www.muohio.edu/PerformingArtsSeries or call the Miami Box Office at (513) 529-3200.
Tickets: https://tkt.xosn.com/tickets/TicketHome.dbml?DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=26100&_MODE_=EVENTSELECT&SALE_TKT_EVENT_ID=250992
Event Page: http://arts.muohio.edu/performing-arts-series/events/ragamala-dance
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/375599375784005/
Ragamala’s page: http://www.ragamala.net/
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 