Ashwini Ramaswamy

🪔 About

Ashwini Ramaswamy has dedicated over 30 years to the study of Bharatanatyam, training under her mother Ranee Ramaswamy, her sister Aparna Ramaswamy, and the legendary Padma Bhushan Smt. Alarmél Valli of Chennai, India, since 2011. Her upbringing, split between India and the U.S., has fostered a distinctive hybrid aesthetic and vision in her work. As a founding member and Choreographic Associate of Ragamala Dance Company, she has toured extensively across the U.S. and internationally, performing in countries such as Russia, Taiwan, Indonesia, Japan, the U.K., and India. Her performances have graced prestigious venues including The Joyce Theater, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, and the Kennedy Center. Ramaswamy is also an acclaimed independent choreographer, whose work has been praised by The New York Times for "creating space, not just for more generations but more ways of thinking" and recognized among the "Best of the Year" by The Washington Post. She has received numerous commissions from institutions like the Liquid Music Series and American Dance Platform, and has held residencies at esteemed centers such as the Baryshnikov Arts Center and the National Center for Choreography. Her commitment lies in upholding the rigor, physicality, humanity, and authenticity of her Bharatanatyam lineage while developing a personal vision for collaborative and multidisciplinary performance experiences. Awards & Honours: Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant for Dance (2011), Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship, McKnight Foundation Artist Fellowships for Dance and Choreography, National Dance Project Grant (for "Let the Crows Come") (2018), MAP Fund, USArtists International, National Performance Network (NPN), Creative Capital Award, South Asian Arts Resiliency Fund, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council Grant, National Endowment for the Arts Grant, New England Foundation for the Arts' National Dance Project Grant.