4 Thursday, March 2, 2017 Island Beat Hawaii Tribune-Herald Dancer to share cultural journey at UH-Hilo Critically acclaimed dancer and choreographer Aparna Ramaswamy and her Ragamala Dance Company present “They Rose at Dawn” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the UH-Hilo Performing Arts Center. “They Rose at Dawn” is a solo work, depicting women as carriers of ritual. A five-piece Carnatic musical ensemble accompanies Ramaswamy as she explores the spontaneous interplay between music and movement and the dynamic contours created by the artists. “I’ve long been interested in how the ancient and contemporary intersect and how we transmit ideas across space and time,” Ramaswamy says. “For this work, I wanted to explore ideas of cultural transmission, particularly how women become carriers of our rituals and culture. “What happens when individuals from cultures like India move to a different part of the world? What do we choose to leave and what do we carry forward?” Ramaswamy says that looking at poetry from third century Indian stories and drawing from personal experience, she was able to find connections that are relevant to the here and now. “‘They Rose at Dawn’ celebrates female energy and force,” she explains. “In this solo work, women are carriers of ritual, and they navigate inner and outer worlds to invoke a sense of reverence, of unfolding mystery, of imagination. Over the course of 70 minutes, I explore the divine within, the effect of humanity on nature, the way human love can transcend into spiritual fulfillment — these are both very personal yet universal sentiments that transcend geography and history.” Under the direction of Ramaswamy and her mother, Ranee Ramaswamy, Ragamala Dance Company’s work explores the dynamic tension between the ancestral and the contemporary through its performances. As choreographers and performers, mother and daughter create dance landscapes that dwell in opposition to find the transcendence that lies in between. “My mother, Ranee, and I, although from different generations, underwent intensive training in India with “They Rose at Dawn” is a solo work, depicting women as carriers of ritual. Photo: Narendra Dangiya See DANCER Page 5
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