EDINBURGH FRINGE 2024
Interview
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& ASHWINI
RAMASWAMY
APARNA
ANATA, THE ETERNAL
Assembly @ Dance Base - Dance Base 3
DANCE / PHYSICAL THEATRE / CIRCUS
Aug 13-18, 20-25: TICKETS
AUG 18, 2024
Award-winning choreographer Aparna Ramaswamy weaves together threads of body, memory, desire and devotion to describe the eternal relationship between the deity and the devotee. Sisters and acclaimed Bharatanatyam dancers/choreographers Aparna Ramaswamy and Ashwini Ramaswamy come together for their first duet evening. Programmed by Dance Base in collaboration with Assembly.
Hello Aparna & Ashwini, thank you for taking the time to talk with The New Current, how does it feel be bringing your show to Edinburgh Fringe this summer?
We absolutely love Edinburgh, especially during this time when it is teeming with artistry and people interested in seeing performances. This is the first time Dance Base is partnering with Assembly, and they are presenting some of the top acts in dance today. Ragamala Dance Company is thrilled to be a part of their lineup.
Will you be making any flyering trips to the Royal Mile? Godspeed if you do.
No - we are handing out information to people we meet, leaving them in shops and restaurants, and sometimes handing them out after our performances, but that’s about it!
What does the Edinburgh Fringe mean to you?
During this month long festival, the city is thrumming with visitors and artists from around the world; I don’t know that there is another festival quite like it. It means a great deal to be a part of such a one-of-a-kind experience. Our venue at Dance Base (Dance Base 3), is really ideal for this performance because the audience is able to see the details, nuances, and rigor of our dance lineage, the south Indian dance form of Bharatanatyam, up close.
Can you tell me a little bit about how your show came about, what can we expect?
In Sanskrit, Ananta is a concept that embodies the infinite, the endless, and the limitless expanding into infinity. Ananta, The Eternal (50 mins in length) is a suite of four original Bharatanatyam-inspired solos and duets that weave together threads of body, memory, desire, and devotion. With this piece, I am interested in finding the relevance and universality of ancient forms that weave together multiple artistic ideas (literature, movement, and music, etc) to express the underpinnings of society. How do we feel part of a community? What is our relationship with the sacred? How do we find justice in how we all work together?
If you could describe your show in three words what would they be and why?
Devotion
Rigor
Family
What would you say have been the most interesting things you’ve discovered about yourself in the process of creating your show for the Fringe?
For three decades I have been advancing a complex, contemporary understanding of South Indian embodied ritual and its resonance in the diaspora. The choreography in Ananta often draws from particular mythological stories that exemplify this incredible process and cycle of life that we are all part of, and how the sacred can provide us with a sense of hope for transcendence. In these pieces, there are descriptions of various Hindu deities and what they represent; how they have created the universe, what makes the natural world sacred, and also what is our responsibility towards these relationships. The pieces, which were created to be performed in small, intimate settings, uplift the eternal relationship between the deity and the devotee. Also, this work marks the first time I am performing a duet evening with my sister Ashwini, and so this piece is also a love letter to my family, who I've worked with my entire life. She is an accomplished dancer in her own right, and the two of us are very comfortable on stage together.
When a show is running do you give your self much flexibility with the material?
In our form, especially in the solos, there is room for improvising on a micro-level. We are reacting to the music, to the audience, to the surroundings, and that will bring about different shades of expression and layers of meaning from show to show. While each performance may feel wildly different for the performer, the differences are most likely imperceptible to the audience.
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What are your warm up and warm down routines during a run?
Because our costuming and makeup takes over 2 hours, we are not able to warm up extensively directly before a show. We do yoga nearly every day, we stretch and take hot showers to ease our muscles, and we might walk through movement for 20 minutes before a performance starts. In south India, where Bharatanatyam was born, it is always warm, so warming up isn’t really necessary!
Where did you passion for performing come from?
For me, dance and family are inextricably linked. For the last three decades, I have worked in a collaborative partnership with my mother, Ranee Ramaswamy. It began in 1984, when we both started training with my guru—the legendary dancer/choreographer Alarmél Valli, in Chennai, India. When I first saw her perform, I was forever changed. I never knew that one person could embody a myriad of emotions with such grace and brilliance.
Bharatanatyam was my outlet to focus my energy and express my emotions.Ranee and I—although from different generations—underwent intensive training side by side, living and breathing this timeless, poetic art form. We practiced together, challenging and supporting one another. Today, when we create a new work, our conversations are rapid-fire, fluid and undisguised. My younger sister, Ashwini, is a beautiful dancer in her own right and a key member of my company. I feel so proud that the three of us have now create work together.
What do you hope to take away from the fringe this summer?
This opportunity to perform a very emotionally and physically demanding show 12 times in 13 days allows the opportunity to really dive deep into the material and continue to grow as a performer. I’m also excited to see the synergy between my sister and I grow and evolve over the course of these many performances.
What advice would you offer anyone wanting to bring a show to the fringe?
We don’t have a lot of experience bringing shows here, but it seems to me that you need to be able to build word of mouth by doing a long run of shows, be willing to exit flier other similar shows or in the crowded streets, and maybe even hire a publicist. It’s hard to get noticed but I have always believed that if you have a very strong work ethic, truly believe in your artistry, and are willing to be patient, you will get where you are meant to be. My company, Ragamala Dance Company, is now in our 32nd year, so we have been doing this work for a long time! It never gets easier, but it has always been worth it.
And finally, what would you like your Fringe 2024 audiences to take away from your show?
Many audiences who encounter Bharatanatyam often assume it to be a reproduction of a tradition carried across oceans by immigrants. Of course, there is no such thing as a fixed tradition anywhere; traditions are always evolving. Nowhere is this more evident than in our vision of Bharatanatyam. My Bharatanatyam is both a classical language and a contemporary vision, richly shaped by the ancient, medieval, modern, and individual.
While Western dance culture tends to prioritize ensemble performances, this form of Bharatanatyam is rooted primarily in intimate performances which allow the beauty and power of the form to clearly come through, making a direct connection with the audience. I hope that audiences take note of how much work has gone into crafting this evening, both as a creator and performer, and that they have a communal experience with us - that we go on a journey together that inspires joy, connection, and awe.