RAGAMALADANCECOMPANYWritteninWaterWest-CoastPremiereRaneeRamaswamy&AparnaRamaswamy,Co-ArtisticDirectorsPremaRamamurthy&AmirElSaffar,ComposersSaturday,October29at8pm(LosAngeles,CA)October3,2016-ValleyPerformingArtsCenterpresentsRagamalaDanceCompany,therenownedIndianensemble,ledbymother/daughter,RaneeRamaswamyandAparnaRamaswamyonSaturday,October29at8pmfortheWestCoastpremiereofWritteninWater.Theentireperformance,audienceandperformersalike,willbeheldontheVPACGreatHallstage;thecapacityisstrictlylimitedto250.AlastairMacaulaysaidinTheNewYorkTimes,“RagamalashowedhowIndianformscanprovidesomeofthemosttranscendentexperiencesthatdancehastooffer…thisisanexcellentcompany.”RaneeandAparnaareprotégésofthelegendarydancerandchoreographerAlarmélValli,knownasoneofIndia’sgreatestlivingmasters.Theircompanyworkexploresthedynamictensionbetweentheancestralandthecontemporary.Aschoreographersandperformers,RaneeandAparnacreatedancelandscapesthatdwellinopposition—secularandspirituallife,innerandouterworlds,humanandnaturalconcerns,rhythmandstillness—tofindthetranscendencethatliesinbetween.Asmotheranddaughter,eachbringshergenerationalexperiencetothework—therichtraditions,deepphilosophicalroots,andancestralwisdomofIndiameetingandmergingwiththeirhybridicperspectivesasIndian-Americanartists.WritteninWaterfeaturesacommissionedscorefromAmirElSaffar,knownforhisdistinctivealchemyofcontemporaryjazztrumpetandIraqiMaqam.HisscorewillbeinterwovenwithoriginalCarnatic(SouthIndian)compositionsbyIndia-basedcomposerPremaRamamurthy.Themusicalensemblewillfeaturesecond-generationAmericanartistsknownfordrawingontheirtrainingwithgreatmastersinIndiaandtheMiddleEasttoforgenewmusicalforms.(Instrumentation:vocals,trumpet,santur,violin,andmridangam)“ThismotheranddaughterduohasonefootfirmlyplantedinthegreatesttraditionsofIndianClassicaldance,andtheotherfootdelicatelybalancedinthefuture,withimaginativenewcombinationsofmovement,music,andstorytelling,”saidThorSteingraber,ExecutiveDirectorofVPAC.“Thisbrandnewpiece,WritteninWater,willheexperiencedupclose,withtheaudiencesittingonVPAC'sstage.”Steingrabercontinued,“OnApril19,2017,VPACwillpresentanentirelydifferentsideofIndiandance–withTajExpress:TheBollywoodMusicalRevuewhichcapturesthevibrant,expressivespiritoftheworldofBollywoodmovieswithafusionoffilm,dance,andmusic--alivecinematicjourneythroughmodernIndiancultureandsociety.”AboutWritteninWaterWritteninWaterisRaneeandAparnaRamaswamy'songoinginvestigationofParamapadam(the2ndcenturyIndianboardgameuponwhichSnakesandLaddersisbased),the12thcenturySufitextThe
NewsRelease
ConferenceoftheBirds,andthephilosophicalandspiritualunderpinningsofboth.Thegameboardservesasaphysicalandmetaphoricalframeworkforaworldofpsychologicalcomplexity,inwhichdancersandmusiciansmovefreelybetweencompositionandimprovisation.Theperformancewillunfolduponalarge-scaleprojectionofaParamapadamgameboardonthestagefloor—anoriginaldesigncommissionedfromChennai,India-basedartistKeshavV.Onthismetaphysicalmap,theseekers/dancersactivatethespacebynegotiatingsnakesandladders—whichrepresenttheheightsofecstasyanddepthsoflonging—astheyjourneythroughthesevenvalleys(orstatesofbeing)centraltoTheConferenceoftheBirds.
Singletickets,$43,areavailablenow.ThiswillbeageneraladmissioneventontheVPACGreatHallStage.Forticketandsubscriptioninformation,visitValleyPerformingArtsCenter.orgorcall(818)677-3000.ValleyPerformingArtsCenterislocatedonthecampusofCaliforniaStateUniversity,Northridge(CSUN),18111NordhoffStreetNorthridge,CA91330-8448,atthecornerofNordhoffandLindley.AboutRagamalaDanceCompanyFoundedin1992andacclaimedasoneoftheIndianDiaspora’sleadingdanceensembles,RagamalaDanceCompanyseamlesslycarriestheSouthIndianclassicaldanceformofBharatanatyamintothe21stcentury.Forthepast30years,Co-ArtisticDirectorsRaneeandAparnaRamaswamyhaveworkedtogetherinanintergenerationalcreativepartnership.Togethertheyhavecreatedtheirownspecificsub-genrethatcombinesacontemporaryWesternaestheticwithanIndianethos.Nowinits24thseason,Ragamala’sworkhasbeencommissionedbytheWalkerArtCenter,LincolnCenterOutofDoors,theClariceSmithPerformingArtsCenterattheUniversityofMaryland,theKrannertCenterforPerformingArtsattheUniversityofIllinois,theArtsCenteratNYUAbuDhabi(UnitedArabEmirates),andOpeningNightsPerformingArtsatFloridaStateUniversity,andhasbeendevelopedinresidenceattheMageeAlleseeNationalCenterforChoreography(MANCC)andduringanNPNresidencyatTheYard.ThecompanyhasbeenrecognizedwithgrantsfromtheNationalEndowmentfortheArts,NationalDanceProject,DorisDukeCharitableFoundation,McKnightFoundation,JapanFoundation/NewYork,MinnesotaStateArtsBoard,USArtistsInternational,NewMusic/USA,MAPFund,AmericanComposersForum,andtheJoyceFoundation.Thecompanyhastouredextensively,highlightedbytheAmericanDanceFestival,LincolnCenter,KennedyCenter,MusicCenterofLosAngeles,ChicagoMuseumofContemporaryArt,InternationalFestivalofArts&Ideas,UniversityMusicalSocietyattheUniversityofMichigan,JustFestival(Edinburgh,U.K.),BaliArtsFestival(Indonesia),SriKrishnaGanaSabha(Chennai,India),andNationalCentreforPerformingArts(Mumbai,India).CalendarListingforRagamalaDanceCompanyVenue: ValleyPerformingArtsCenter 18111NordhoffStreet Northridge,CA91330 Date: Wednesday,October5at8:00pmTickets: Price:$43
PleaseNote:ThiswillbeageneraladmissioneventontheVPACstage InPerson:VPACTicketOffice,locatedintheVPACCourtyard
ByPhone:(818)677-3000 Online:ValleyPerformingArtsCenter.orgPressContacts:TimChoy,NikiBlumberg,Davidson&ChoyPublicity
323-954-7510|[email protected];[email protected],PublicRelationsConsultant310-914-0178|[email protected]
Photos:Clickhereforphotosfromthe2016-17Season:http://www.valleyperformingartscenter.org/press/press-photos/ RagamalaDanceCompanywebsite:www.ragamaladance.org
Recommended
