APARNA RAMASWAMY
Bharatanatyam dancer/choreographer
Raised both in India and the United States, Aparna Ramaswamy is a senior disciple of legendary dancer/choreographer Alarmél Valli (Chennai, India). Aparna is co-artistic director, choreographer, and principal dancer of Ragamala Dance Company with her choreographic partner (and mother) Ranee Ramaswamy. Together they have created their own specific sub-genre that combines a contemporary Western aesthetic with an Indian ethos. Aparna’s choreographic work for Ragamala has been supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, National Dance Project, MAP Fund, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, New Music/USA, and USArtists International. Aparna’s honors include a 2016 Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, a 2016 Joyce Award from the Joyce Foundation, and three McKnight Artist Fellowships for Dance and Choreography. Aparna has served as guest lecturer at colleges and universities throughout the U.S., where she seeks to spark conversations that articulate new possibilities for cultural hybridity in the 21st century. Aparna is an empaneled artist with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations of the Government of India and serves on the Board of Trustees of Dance/USA.