Audition Announcement for Choreographers’ Evening 2026, curated by Ashwini Ramaswamy

I have lived and worked as an artist in Minnesota for most of my life and am honored to be the curator of the 2026 Choreographers’ Evening. Rooted in the South Indian dance form of Bharatanatyam, my practice is grounded in lineage while continually evolving through new artistic inquiry and collaboration. As a second generation immigrant/cultural carrier raised in the US, and with strong ties to India, I am continually seeking to understand how tradition is carried as a living medium for discovery.

I believe that the most transcendent dance experiences are rooted in a rigorous multidisciplinary inquiry. For me, dance artists who take an active role in musicality, narrative structure, and visual design bring something unique and vital to the process. The result is an organic, composite entity, where movement, music, poetics, and psychology spontaneously converge. This multidimensional approach offers the audience something both completely of the body and out of body, something that resonates far beyond the physical boundary of the space. I am interested in work that is transmitted through disciplined practice and charged with the weight of specific experience; that moves beyond labels of ”classical“ and “contemporary” to inspire universal resonance.

How do you transmit and receive knowledge with both authority and humility?

How do we carry forward what we have inherited from the past while remaining responsive to the needs and realities of our time?

How does musicality and rhythmic understanding inform your choreographic process?

How do you evoke resonance—emotional, intellectual, communal, etc.—through the body (or your practice)? How do ideas move from research, observation, or reflection into physical form?

Consider the relationships between discipline and imagination, research and embodiment, inheritance and innovation, music and movement. How do these elements converge in the work you create?

Ashwini Ramaswamy has spent more than 30 years studying Bharatanatyam from award-winning artists Ranee Ramaswamy and Aparna Ramaswamy (her mother and sister), and their guru, the legendary Padma Bhushan Smt. Alarmél Valli of Chennai, India, since 2011. Her upbringing in both India and the US has encouraged a hybrid aesthetic and vision, and her choreography has been heralded by the New York Times for ”creating space, not just for more generations but more ways of thinking” and listed among the ”Best of the Year” in the Washington Post, Boston Globe, Star Tribune, and Minnpost. Ramaswamy is committed to maintaining the rigor, physicality, humanity, and authenticity embedded in her Bharatanatyam lineage, while forming a personal vision for collaborative, multidisciplinary performance experiences.

As a founding member of Ragamala Dance Company, she has toured extensively, performing throughout the US and in Russia, Taiwan, Indonesia, Japan, the UK, and India, highlighted by performances at the Joyce Theater and Lincoln Center Out of Doors (New York), the Kennedy Center (Washington, DC), American Dance Festival (Durham, NC), The Soraya (Los Angeles), Harris Theater (Chicago), Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Bali Arts Festival, National Centre for Performing Arts (Mumbai, India), and Krishna Gana Sabha (Chennai, India).

The artist’s awards and honors include two McKnight Foundation Artist Fellowships for Dance and Choreography, a Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship, National Dance Project grants for production, touring, and engagement, a MAP Fund grant, and support from USArtists International, National Performance Network (NPN); Minnesota State Arts Board, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, and the South Asian Arts Resiliency Fund.

Her work has been commissioned by Northrop, the Liquid Music Series, Joyce Theater, Gogue Center, American Dance Platform, Macalester College, Great Northern Festival, and Santa Monica College; and created in residence at the Baryshnikov Arts Center, UNC Chapel Hill, Kohler Arts Center, the National Center for Choreography a the University of Akron, the Bogliasco Foundation (Bogliasco, Italy), and the Camargo Foundation (Cassis, France).

As a soloist, she has performed at the Just Festival (Edinburgh), the Ritz Theater (Minneapolis), Northrop (Minneapolis), Carleton College (Northfield, MN), the Drive East Festival, and Erasing Borders Festival (New York). Her ensemble choreographic work has been presented by Augsburg College, the Red Eye Theater, Macalester College, The O’Shaughnessy, and the Cowles Center (Minneapolis/St. Paul); Triskelion Arts, Joyce Theater, and Baryshnikov Arts Center (New York), The Yard (Martha’s Vineyard, MA), Bryn Mawr College (Bryn Mawr, PA), Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts (Scottsdale, AZ), UAlbany Presents (Albany, NY), Just Festival (Edinburgh), Modlin Center for the Arts (Richmond, VA), Charles B. Wang Center (Stonybrook, NY), BroadStage (Santa Monica, CA), and Bates Dance Festival (Lewiston, ME), among others.

• Choreographers must live in Minnesota.
• Works typically range from three to six minutes in length and should not exceed seven minutes.
• Collaborations and ensembles are welcome to audition.
• Works-in-progress are accepted. This can include a live sketch, video viewing at audition, images, fabrics, or other materials to communicate the work in its completion.
• Live auditions are preferred; however, video submissions will be accepted. Video Submissions are due August 17, 2026. In-person auditions will be held August 30,31 and September 1.
• Please audition with the same work that you would like to present.

• Two-hour photo shoot on either October 1, 7, 8, or 14, between 3 to 7 pm. (Date/time to be finalized once artists are selected, based on everyone’s availability. Choreographers only.)
• One-hour technical rehearsal with full company on November 17, 18, or 19, likely between 3 to 9 pm. Individual dates and times to be determined.
• Full company participation in dress rehearsal on November 20, from 12 noon to 5 pm, with a possibility of adding 6 to 9 pm for additional work if needed.
• Two performances on Saturday, November 21. All-artist call at 3 pm. Show #1 will start at 4 pm, show #2 at 7:30 pm.

August 17, 2026: Video Submission Deadline

August 30, 31, and September 1, 2026: In-Person Auditions

Mid-September 2026: Artists notified of final decisions

October 1, 7, 8, or 14 between 3 to 7 pm: Group or individual photo shoots (schedule to be determined; choreographers only)

November 17–19, 2026: Tech rehearsals (Times TBD, but likely scheduled between 3 and 9 pm)

November 20, 2026: Dress rehearsal tentatively 12 noon to 5 pm, possibly extended to 9 pm

November 21, 2026: Artist call at 3 pm; Show #1 at 4 pm; Show #2 at 7:30 pm

For details on the tech support provided to artists for the in-person auditions and performance event, please review the Tech Support Guidelines 2026.

Each selected artist/artist group will receive a guaranteed fee of $900 for their participation. An additional $400 will be given for those with ensembles of four and over. A small travel honorarium will be given to any selected choreographers who reside more than 100 miles outside the Twin Cities.

• To sign-up for an in-person audition time slot, please click here and submit this In-Person Audition Form by Monday, August 17, at 11:59 pm.
• Sign-up for an audition time slot is on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Auditions are held in 15-minute intervals.
• Live auditions are preferred; however, video submissions will be accepted.
• Artists will be notified of final decisions from the curator by mid-September.

Live Audition Dates and Times:
• Sunday, August 30, between 10:30 am and 5:30 pm
• Monday, August 31 and Tuesday, September 1, between 12:30 pm and 8:30 pm

Audition Location:
McGuire Theater
Walker Art Center
725 Vineland Place
Minneapolis, MN 55403

• To send a video of your work, please submit this Video Audition Form by Monday, August 17 at 11:59 pm.
• Video submissions must provide a URL link and passcode, if protected.
• Videos will be viewed up to 10 minutes. Please include start and end times, if the video is longer.
• Artists will be notified of final decisions from the curator by mid-September.

For more information about the auditions, please contact Ashwini Ramaswamy at performingarts@walkerart.org.

Additional questions about the auditions or accessibility can be directed to Sherisa Oie at sherisa.oie@walkerart.org.