“soulful, imaginative and rhythmically contagious.” – New York Times
“a visionary approach to an ancient art form.” – Dance Magazine

Sacred Earth explores the interconnectedness between human emotions and the environment that shapes them. Accompanied by live music, the dancers create a sacred space to honor the divinity in the natural world and the sustenance we derive from it.

Inspired by the philosophies behind the ephemeral arts of Kolam and Warli painting and the Tamil Sangam literature of India, Sacred Earth is co-Artistic Directors Ranee and Aparna Ramaswamy’s singular vision of the beautiful, fragile relationship between nature and man.

About Ragamala Dance Company

Ragamala Dance Company was founded in 1992 by Ranee Ramaswamy. Now under the direction of Ranee and Aparna Ramaswamy (mother and daughter), the company is in its 26th season of creating intercultural, collaborative performance works that forge together ancestry and continuity.

Thematically, they explore the myth and spirituality of their Indian heritage in order to engage with what they see as the dynamic tension between the historical, the ancestral, and the personal. They approach the South Indian dance form of Bharatanatyam as a living, breathing language with which to speak about the contemporary human experience.

Ragamala’s work has been commissioned by organizations including the Walker Art Center, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland, the Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), and more. The company tours extensively, highlighted by the American Dance Festival, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Music Center of Los Angeles, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the International Festival of Arts & Ideas, University Musical Society at the University of Michigan, the Just Festival (Edinburgh, U.K.) the Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), Sri Krishna Gana Sabha (Chennai), and the National Centre for Performing Arts (Mumbai), among others.

This event features free education and outreach activities, led by artists. Learn More.

Event Sponsor

This event is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.