Performer Biographies Ranee Ramaswamy (Founder/Artistic Director/Choreographer/Principal Dancer) has been teaching and performing in the Twin Cities since 1978. She has had the good fortune to train under Alarmel Valli, a leading teacher of the Pandanallur style of Bharatanatyam, which requires grace and subtlety of expression. Ramaswamy has received many grants and fellowships in recognition of her choreography, performance and tireless work with Bharatanatyam in the Minnesota area, including numerous McKnight Artist Fellowships for Choreographers, two Cultural Collaboration Grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board, and an Artist Exploration Fund Grant from Arts International (New York). In 2004, she was named one of the "Artists of the Year" by the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Throughout her career, Ramaswamy has collaborated with celebrated artists of diverse backgrounds and disciplines, such as poet Robert Bly, jazz musician Howard Levy, jazz vocalist Charmin Michelle. Ramaswamy work has been commissioned by Zenon Dance Company, the University of Minnesota's Interplay Series, and composer Jan Gilbert. In 2004, Sethu (Bridge), Ramaswamy's global collaboration with Bali-based Kecak artist I Dewa Putu Berata, commissioned and co-presented by Walker Art Center (Minneapolis, Minnesota), drew an audience of more than 5,500 and received overwhelming critical and public acclaim.

Aparna Ramaswamy (Artistic Director/Choreographer/Principal Dancer) has performed Bharatanatyam in the Twin Cities from a very young age, and has been studying under the guidance of Alarmel Valli, the world's leading teacher of the Pandanallur style of Bharatanatyam, since the age of eight. At the age of 12, she was the first of Valli's students to perform an arangetram (two-hour debut recital) in . Ramaswamy has performed at numerous venues both nationally and internationally. Most recently, she presented a critically acclaimed solo performance at the prestigious 2005 Music and Dance Festival in Chennai, India. Ramaswamy has been awarded several honors, including a Bush Fellowship for Choreography and an Arts and Religion in the Twin Cities grant, funded by the Rockefeller Foundation and an Artist Exploration Fund Grant from Arts International (New York). In 2005, she was the recipient of the Lakshmi Vishwanathan Endowment Prize from Sri Gana Sabha (Chennai, India). Ramaswamy is a graduate of Carleton College, with a degree in International Relations and Political Science.

Tamara Nadel (Programs Director/Dancer) has been performing, touring and teaching with Ragamala more than 10 years. A student of Bharatanatyam under Ranee Ramaswamy and Aparna Ramaswamy, Nadel gave her solo debut performance (arangetram) in 1998. She has received a Minnesota State Arts Board Career Opportunity Grant and a Jerome Foundation Travel Study Grant for travel to India. Most recently, Nadel is the recipient of a 2006 McKnight Fellowship for Dancers. Tamara is a graduate of Macalester College, with a degree in Religious Studies and Dance.

Alison Kirwin (Dancer) has been studying with Ranee Ramaswamy and performing with Ragamala Music and Dance Theater since 1993. Kirwin gave her solo debut performance in Bharatanatyam (arangetram) in August of 1996, and has joined the company on several national tours. Kirwin finished her major in Dance at the University of Minnesota in 1997.

Amanda Dlouhy (Dancer) has been studying with Ragamala since 2004, when she was introduced to Bharatanatyam by Ranee and Aparna Ramaswamy, and has been performing with the company since 2005. Dlouhy is currently an undergraduate at the University of Minnesota pursuing an honors degree in history and minors in anthropology and art history.

First Week, Taiko Drummer: Meleck Davis has been playing drums for 15 years. He recently took up the art of Taiko drumming and has had four years of study in West African percussion under Ghanaian master drummer Sowah Mensah. Davis also briefly studied Bharatanataym with Ragamala , and is excited about sharing the stage and collaborating with his teachers. He is a graduate of Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is currently pursuing an M.F.A. in Interactive Design at the University of Minnesota.

Second Week, Taiko Drummer: Al Zdrazil is a member of Mu Daiko. He has been studying taiko for seven years. Zdrazil works as a prosecutor with the Minnesota Attorney General's Office and in 2002, he was honored as the outstanding prosecutor in Minnesota by the Minnesota Bar Association.