Pace Presents to Stage NY Premiere of SANNIDHI (SACRED SPACE), 10/5

Pace Presents is proud to announce the New York premiere of acclaimed Bharatanatyam dancer and choreographer Aparna Ramaswamy's Sannidhi (Sacred Space) on Saturday, October 5 at 7:30pm at the Michael SchimMel Center for the Arts at Pace University.

Aparna Ramaswamy's choreography and performance have been described as "a marvel of buoyant agility and sculptural clarity" (Dance Magazine), "thrillingly three-dimensional," and "enchantingly beautiful," (The New York Times). Sannidhi (Sacred Space), brings together Indian-American artists of the next generation who retain roots in their collective history while bringing their own voices to the Contemporary Stage. In Sannidhi, the stage becomes the sacred ground upon which to celebrate the guru, the divine, the natural world and the richness of human relationships. The spiritual and the secular merge into one, forming the continuous pulse of our universe.

Sannidhi features four Carnatic musicians: Ranee Ramaswamy (nattuvangam), Roopa Mahadevan (vocals), P.K. Swaminathan (mridangam, the two headed south Indian drum), and Anjna Swaminathan (violin).

Highly stylized with sophisticated technique, Bharatanatyam blends two distinct components: nritta, or rhythmic dance, comprised of various complex body movements and rhythmic compositions, andnritya, or narrative dance, which utilizes the language of gesture and facial expression.

Although Bharatanatyam has a structured vocabulary, this vocabulary does not restrict, but instead offers the use of a multifaceted language from which the dancer can draw and expand. In this incredibly intricate percussive form, the choreographer not only creates the movement but also the rhythmic structures. This coupled with the beauty, vitality, and stunning physicality of the style, makes Bharatanatyam the perfect canvas on which to create timeless compositions.

Sannidhi (Sacred Space) is made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts' National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, with additional support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Aparna Ramaswamy is co-artistic director, choreographer, and principal dancer of Ragamala Dance, acclaimed as one of the Indian Diaspora's leading dance ensembles. She is the protégé of legendary Bharatanatyam dancer and choreographer Alarmél Valli, known as one of India's greatest living masters. Together with Co-Artistic Director Ranee Ramaswamy, she sees the classical dance form of Bharatanatyam as a dynamic, living tradition with vast potential to spark a global conversation.

Among her many honors are three McKnight Fellowships in Dance and Choreography, a Bush Fellowship for Choreography, an Arts and Religion grant funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, two Jerome Foundation Travel Study Grants, an Artist Exploration Fund grant from Arts International, and two US Artists International grants from the MidAtlantic Arts Foundation.

In 2010, Ramaswamy was the first Bharatanatyam dancer/choreographer to be named one of Dance Magazine's "25 to Watch," and she and Ranee were jointly named "2011 Artist of the Year" by the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Aparna 's work has been supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, National Dance Project, MAP Fund, Japan Foundation, US Artists International, and a Joyce Award; commissioned by the Walker Art Center and American Composers Forum; and toured extensively, highlighted by the American Dance Festival in Durham, NC; Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.; Music Center in Los Angeles; CA, Krannert Center in Urbana, IL; Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland; Bali Arts Festival in Indonesia; Music Academy in Chennai, India; and National Centre for Performing Arts in Mumbai, India.

For more information on Ragamala Dance and Aparna Ramaswamy, visit: www.ragamaladance.org and www.aparnaramaswamy.net.

Pace Presents: Sannidhi (Sacred Space). Ticket prices for Sannidhi (Sacred Space) at The SchimMel Center for the Arts at Pace University range from $25 to $40. Student rush tickets available day of performance with valid student ID. The performance will take place on Saturday, October 5 at 7:30pm. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit http://schimmel.pace.edu or call toll-free (866) 811-4111.

Pace Presents performances take place at The Michael SchimMel Center for the Arts located at 3 Spruce Street between Park Row and Gold Street in downtown Manhattan.

Subscription series tickets are now available by visiting schimmel.pace.edu. Tickets to all events are available for purchase now: Online at schimmel.pace.edu; By phone via The Ovation Tix Call Center at (866) 811-4111; In person in advance at The Michael SchimMel Center Box Office, open Mon-Fri from1pm-6pm; Day of Show at The Michael SchimMel Center starting two hours before curtain.

Public Transportation within a five minute walk of the venue includes:

4 / 5 / 6 Subway to Brooklyn Bridge City Hall
2 / 3 Subway to Fulton Street
A / C Subway to Fulton Street
J / Z Subway to Fulton Street
N / R Subway to City Hall
PATH Train to World Trade Center
M1 Bus to Broadway-Nassau Street / Fulton Street
M6 Bus to Broadway-Nassau Street / Fulton Street
M9 Bus to Brooklyn Bridge/ City Hall
M15 Bus to Brooklyn Bridge / City Hall
M22 Bus to Broadway-Nassau Street / Fulton Street
M103 Bus to Broadway-Nassau Street / Fulton Street
B51 Bus to City Hall/Broadway

Located one block east of City Hall and immediately adjacent to the Brooklyn Bridge, The SchimMel Center's 670-seat theatre regularly hosts academic and community events in addition to its yearly schedule of the world's finest music, theatre and dance. Over the past twelve years, The SchimMel Center has served as a founding venue for The River-to-River Festival (2002), hosted both The Tribeca Film Festival and The Tribeca Theatre Festival (2001), provided a headquarters for The National Actors Theatre (2002 to 2004), presented the only Democratic Presidential Debate to present all ten candidates for the 2004 election, and actively hosts James Lipton's award-winning Bravo series Inside The Actors Studio, taped on the Schimmel Theatre's stage since 2005.

For more than 100 years, Pace University has helped prepare students to become leaders in their fields by providing an education that combines exceptional academics with professional experience. Pace has three campuses in New York City, Westchester and White Plains. A private metropolitan university, Pace enrolls approximately 13,500 students in bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs in the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, via its rapidly growing Performing Arts Department, Lienhard School of Nursing, Lubin School of Business, School of Education, Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems and School of Law.