Page 61 - Tehelka Issue 13 - July 15, 2018

• Creating space Ranee has
worked for decades to find
place for Bharatanatyam
in the landscape of
American dance

photos: amanulla & hub Willson
cities across the USA and important Ranee. For the Walker Centre, curator Earth’ which was made with funding
dance centres around the world. Philip Bither commissioned Ragamala from the National Dance Project and
All three of them are McKnight dance Company in 2004, to work on the National Endowment for the Arts,
awardees. The McKnight Founda- a choreography called ‘Sethu’ using has had seventy performances already
tion via its generous and ‘no strings over fifty dancers, many from Bali, including thirty in one year alone.
attached grants’ have made huge where also the Ramayan story is well Another memorable choreography of
investment amongst dancers of the entrenched, albeit with some differ- theirs with a deep philosophical mean-
state. This is a reflection of the open- ences. “She makes the unlikely and ing is ‘Written in Water’ based on the
ness with which the community of irreconcilable possible and beautiful” traditional Tamil game of Snakes and
Minnesotans have embraced their art was Bither’s comment about Ranee on ladders but interpreted to represent
and supported this non western form. that occasion! Even mentor and guru, the heights of ecstasy and the depths of
Ranee is a recipient of the United States Alarmel Valli acknowledges that “They longing in Hindu and Sufi thought.
Artistes fellowship, and the Doris Duke have done much to take our dance to Most recently, a creative residency
Performing Artist’s award, as is Aparna mainstream circles”. in June at the Rockefeller Foundation’s
independently. Aparna has the Joyce For Ranee, every cross cultural col- Bellagio Center in Italy, allowed the
award, the Bush fellowship for chore- laboration starts with a deep personal mother and daughter team of Ranee
ography and was named as one of “25 journey into her own tradition. This and Aparna to craft their new work,
to Watch” by Dance magazine in 2010. is something she owes to her daugh- “Body, the Shrine,” described as “an
In 1990 Ranee met the American ter Aparna, she says. “I wanted to go exploration of the mythography of the
poet, essayist, activist, and leader of the out and Aparna kept showing me the intimate and the infinite,” which will
mythopoetic men’s movement, Robert possibilities of within the tradition. mark the silver jubilee of the Ragmala
Bly, who had translated some poems We combined both impulses and we Dance Company. “It is not often that a
of Meera that portrayed her as a strong met the other art forms but in an India mother and daughter can work side by
independent woman. On a whim, after centric perspective”. So using this as a side, arm in arm, to create an artistic
reading them, Ranee called him up and fulcrum they created ‘Sacred Earth’ a product, to run a business, to achieve
asked if he would read them while she combination of Warli paintings, Kolam a vision. We are excited each day to
danced? “Amazingly, he said yes, and (rice flour) designs, multi disciplinary see each other and follow our dreams
Mirabai Versions was premiered in visual art, poetry, music and dance. together. It is only a visionary and
1991. With poems in English and music Deeply researched it used five poems extraordinary person who can make
by local musicians, it made Indian from the Sangam era, that talked about this a reality”, acknowledges Aparna co-
dance more accessible to western audi- the everyday as did the paintings that artistic director and principal dancer
ences outside the Indian community”, would fly up and down the side screens. of the Ragmala Dance Company of
recounted Ranee. Another highlight On the central screen the appearing her mother who has been described
was ‘Body and Soul: A Tribute to Billy and disappearing images of the kolams as determined, brave and generous by
Holiday” a collaboration with local jazz being simultaneously created on the many, and by her sister Ashwini, direc-
musicians, inspired by the fact that floor were being projected. The danc- tor of marketing and dancer with the
“to me Holiday’s music reminded me ers’ foot work would erase the kolams, Company, simply as a “Superhero”!
of Tamil Padams, songs of love and soon after they were made, as if to sug-
loss of anger and jealousy” described gest the transitory nature of life! ‘Sacred letters@tehelka.com

Tehelka / 15 july 2018 61 www.Tehelka.com

60-61 Column-Arshiya Sethi.indd 3 03/07/18 4:11 PM