Photos: Ragamala Dance Announces 2026-27 Season Featuring Sacred Earth
Aparna Ramaswamy and Ranee Ramaswamy co-direct the piece inspired by kolam, Warli painting, and Tamil Sangam poetry.
Ragamala Dance Company has announced its 2026-27 season, featuring performances of its signature work Sacred Earth along with Ananta, the Eternal and the West Coast premiere of Children of Dharma across multiple cities.
Ragamala's signature work, Sacred Earth, is a continuous arc of high-energy dance and poetry that celebrates the beauty and vitality of the natural world. Inspired by the ephemerality of the Indian art forms of kolam rice flour drawings, Warli wall paintings, and Tamil Sangam poems, Sacred Earth reflects Artistic Co-Directors Aparna Ramaswamy and Ranee Ramaswamy's singular vision of the delicate, interdependent relationship between humanity and nature.
Tour Dates
Wednesday, September 23 — Midwest Arts Xpo (MAX Conference), Milwaukee, WI — Excerpts from Sacred Earth. Learn More
Saturday, October 24 — Paramount Theater, Austin, MN — An Evening of Bharatanatyam. Featuring excerpts from the company's acclaimed repertoire, this performance is both a cultural inheritance and a contemporary force that reveals the timelessness and transcendence of Bharatanatyam. Through precise, geometric movements, expressive facial expressions, rhythmic footwork, and kinetic storytelling, this performance invites audiences to consider how culturally rooted art forms can honor their histories while speaking powerfully to the present. Learn More
Sunday, November 1 — Soorya Festival, Kerala, India — Ananta, the Eternal, with live music. Ananta, the Eternal, by Aparna Ramaswamy, is an immersive evening of duets and solos by acclaimed Bharatanatyam dance artists Aparna, her sister Ashwini, and her mother Ranee, who weave together threads of body, memory, desire and devotion. Ananta describes the eternal relationship between the deity and the devotee. Aparna and Ashwini are accompanied by extraordinary musicians from Chennai, India, extending dialogues of improvisation to reveal the dynamic interplay between dance, music, and poetry. Learn More
Saturday, November 21 — Walker Art Center's Choreographer's Evening, curated by Ashwini Ramaswamy, Minneapolis, MN. The Walker's annual dance showcase celebrates Minnesota's vibrant and diverse dance communities. Each year, a roster of local choreographers and movement artists delivers powerful performances curated by a notable Minnesota dancemaker. This year's program is curated by dancer/choreographer Ashwini Ramaswamy. A founding member of Ragamala Dance Company, Ramaswamy maintains a rigorous, multidisciplinary practice rooted in classical Bharatanatyam dance. Tickets
Thursday, December 10 (private event) — Rajiv Menon Contemporary, Los Angeles, CA. This special evening brings together two internationally heralded cultural institutions—Ragamala Dance Company and Rajiv Menon Contemporary—for an intimate experience celebrating art, heritage, and the power of cultural storytelling in celebration of Ragamala's season in Los Angeles. Learn More
January 22, 2027 — Cowles Center, Minneapolis, MN — Ananta, the Eternal, with live music. Tickets coming soon.
January 24, 2027 (private event) — Chicago, IL — Ananta, the Eternal, with live music.
January 28 & 29, 2027 — Hopkins Center for the Arts at Dartmouth University, Hanover, NH — Ananta, the Eternal, with live music. Ananta, the Eternal, by Aparna Ramaswamy, is an immersive evening of duets and solos by acclaimed Bharatanatyam dance artists Aparna, her sister Ashwini, and her mother Ranee, who weave together threads of body, memory, desire and devotion. Ananta describes the eternal relationship between the deity and the devotee. Aparna and Ashwini are accompanied by extraordinary musicians from Chennai, India, extending dialogues of improvisation to reveal the dynamic interplay between dance, music, and poetry. Tickets
February 27, 2027 — BroadStage, Santa Monica, CA — Children of Dharma, West Coast Premiere. Children of Dharma explores life— forever transforming, dissolving, and renewing— through three characters from the South Asian epic The Mahabharata. These myths reveal the power of ancient cultures to reaffirm humanity's relationship with nature and the sacred, and provoke a visceral response to crises over the ages, from environmental devastation and oppression to unjust wars. In the onstage world created by scenic and lighting designer Willy Cessa, temples dissolve into battlefields and the sacred meets the earthly. An original Carnatic score and Bharatanatyam choreography for seven dancers bring these stories to life, illuminating questions of conscience, transformation, and shared responsibility to the world around us. Learn More
June 9 & 10, 2027 — White Bird, Portland, OR — Sacred Earth. Sacred Earth is a powerful, hour-long journey of movement and music that celebrates the beauty and vitality of the natural world. Performed as a continuous arc of high-energy dance and evocative poetry, the work unfolds like a living ritual. Inspired by the ephemerality of the Indian art forms of kolam rice flour drawings, Warli wall paintings, and ancient Tamil Sangam poems, Sacred Earth reflects Co-Artistic Directors Aparna Ramaswamy and Ranee Ramaswamy's singular vision of the delicate, interdependent relationship between humanity and nature. Tickets
Ragamala's work is supported by The Bob and Kathie Goodale Legacy Foundation, The Mayer Family, David McKay and Ranee Ramaswamy, the Lapine Group, Jeanine and Zach Holden, the Elmer L. & Eleanor J. Andersen Foundation, Brett Egan, Payal Kadakia Pujji and Nick Pujji, Irene Suddard, the Shekhawat Family Charitable Fund, Mark and María Nadel, Vicki Bunker, The Kasbohm Family, The Riske Family, The J.L. Enquist Family Fund, the Cuthbert Robinson Family Fund, Fay and Steve Finn, Shanti Shah and Stefan Peterson, Gregory Vilmo, Thomas and Cindy Gerst, Emily Maltz and Jean-Michel Artigaud, Veena Padmanabhan, Mythili and Vaddu Chari, Anne Walter, Shilpa Shinde-Garg, Serra Pradhan, Nithya and Veeresh Mathad, Rama Ranganathan, Marguerite Ahmann and Carey Jeremiason, Noël and Rhianna Stave, Leela and Kevin Scattum, Anonymous, and friends of Ragamala.
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The Play That Goes Wrong Racine Theatre Guild (9/11-9/27) |
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Trayf Next Act Theatre (9/16-10/04) |
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BROADWAY JUNIOR REVUE: PURE IMAGINATION First Stage (5/14-5/23) |
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"Instructions for a Séance" Milwaukee Repertory Theater (10/06-11/08) |
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Weird Al Yankovic at Fiserv Forum Fiserv Forum (10/17-10/17) |
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Gypsy Skylight Music Theatre (9/25-10/18) |
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"Somewhere" Checota Powerhouse Theater, Associated Bank Theater Center (4/13-5/09) |
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BIG: THE MUSICAL Skylight Music Theatre (11/13-12/27) |
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In the Next Room or the vibrator play Next Act Theatre (2/17-3/07) |
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"MKE MVP" Milwaukee Repertory Theater (1/16-2/28) |