NEW YORK, U.S.A.
The New York premiere of Song of the Jasmine from the Ragamala Dance Academy took place on August 7 at the Lincoln Center Out of Doors. The dance, a beautiful mix of South Indian Bharatanatyam with Jazz, has been inspired by the rich poems of Tamil Bhakti poet Andal. The company is led by the dance directors Aparna and Ranee Ramaswamy (disciples of Alarmel Valli, one of India’s legendary Bharatanatyam artists) in collaboration with jazz saxophonist and composer Rudresh Mahanthappa. Mahanthappa leads a new ensemble of Carnatic and jazz artists that includes Rez Abbasi (guitar), Raman Kalyan (South Indian flute), Rajna Swaminathan (mridangam, South Indian drum) and Anjna Swaminathan (violin). The Ragamala dancers joining Aparna and Ranee included Ashwini Ramaswamy, Tamara Nadel and Jessica Fiala. The Song of the Jasmine is spectacular proof that a blended fusion of classical dance and jazz can touch the hearts of a global audience. It moves between past and present, composition and improvisation, music and dance. The group has seven more shows across the United States; the next one is in December in Florida and the last show is in April 2015 in Chicago.
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF DARIAL SNEED
PUBLISHED IN THE FASHION & STYLE ISSUE, FALL 2014
Smruti Das
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Covering global events as the GPS Editor fits right into Smruti Das’ world. A post-graduate in advertising and communication management from Indira School of Communication in Pune India as well as having five years of experience in the hospitality and not-for-profit sectors under her belt, Smr...