How a woman and her daughters founded a revolutionary Indian dance company
Every woman offers a unique set of skills to the household business. “If Aparna is the head of the company and Ranee is its soul, then Ashwini is, perhaps, its heart.”
Ranee Ramaswamy believes that her oldest daughter was here on earth to dance.
Ramaswamy claims, "We all ponder prior lives and reincarnation. She was certain about Aparna Ramaswamy, her firstborn child. She may have been a dancer in a prior life, making dancing natural for her. She has never strayed since she was three years old.
Thus, Ranee established the Ragamala Dance Company in Minneapolis 30 years ago, partially as a platform for her gifted daughter. Since then, Ragamala has gained notoriety among followers of Bharatanatyam, the oldest classical dance style of India, in the United States. The dance group consistently receives high praise for the performers' technical mastery, transcendent spirituality, and cutting-edge artistic partnerships.
Ranee has dedicated her life to building the business, which she now shares with her daughters. The company's co-artistic directors are Ranee and Aparna, while Ashwini Ramaswamy, Aparna's younger sister, works there as a dancer, choreographer, and director of communications. Every woman offers a unique set of skills to the household business. “If Aparna is the head of the company and Ranee is its soul, then Ashwini is, perhaps, its heart.”