Ragamala Dance and Rudresh Mahanthappa

“Aparna Ramaswamy infuses the formal rigor of Bharatanatyam with fluid spontaneity and rock star allure.” —Dance Magazine

In India, the jasmine flower traverses the world of man and the world of the gods. This inspired new work freely moves between past and present, composition and improvisation, music and dance, delving into the concept of longing through the lens of recollection, appeal, and total surrender. Guided by the rich poems of the Tamil Bhakti poet Andal, Song of the Jasmine embodies the spiritual and the sensual that are the lifeblood of the Indian psyche.

Ragamala Dance’s codirectors Aparna Ramaswamy and Ranee Ramaswamy collaborate with jazz saxophonist/composer Rudresh Mahanthappa for an absorbing investigation of identity that conjures the past in order to experience the power of the present. Heralded for his “roving intellect and a bladelike articulation” (New York Times), Mahanthappa heads a new ensemble that features Rez Abbasi (guitar), V. K. Raman (South Indian flute), Rajna Swaminathan (mridangam, south Indian drum), and Anjna Swaminathan (violin) for a live soundscape of jazz and Carnatic music for five Ragamala dancers. Run time 75 minutes.

Join Ragamala for its annual gala evening on May 17 at 5:30 pm in the Walker’s Gather by D’Amico. For information and tickets, call Joanna Lackram at 612.253.3556.