Navatman Dance artistic director Sahasra Sambamoorthi studied bharata natyam with Ramya Ramnarayan for 14 years. Ramnarayan taught her how to showcase her individual strengths. “She works with the person in front of her. She doesn’t try to make us all the same dancer. There’s a piece she taught me when I was very young that […]
In this month’s issue, we got to know the women of Ragamala Dance Company in Minneapolis: Ranee, Aparna and Ashwini Ramaswamy. The mother/daughter team shared their remarkable path to becoming bharata natyam dancers, choreographers and leaders of a thriving company in Minneapolis. Now, the Ragamala dynasty has some exciting performances coming their way. Aparna Ramaswamy […]
It’s a Sunday morning at the Gibney Dance Center in New York City, where Ranee Ramaswamy and her daughters Aparna and Ashwini are preparing for a photo shoot. Chattering and interrupting each other, they flit about as they text, drink coffee and appraise one another’s appearance. Ranee proudly shows photos of her grandsons, “Aparna’s boys. […]
Photo by Susie Inverso, Crimson Cat Studios, courtesy of Silk Road Rising In our December issue, we hear what professional dancers have to say about their go-to teachers. Puja Mohindra Bharata natyam dancer formerly with Natya Dance Theatre Chicago, IL “It helps to have a teacher who’s really honest about whether you’re in the correct […]