2021 -22
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Cover photo: Ashwini Ramaswamy by Ed Bock Photo this page: UAlbany Performing Arts Center by Patrick Ferlo
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Photo: Ashwini Ramaswamy’s Let the Crows Come by Jake Armour
for a full listing of this season’s events.
ASHWINI RAMASWAMY’S LET THE CROWS COME “a fascinating, beautifully developed exchange of dance styles among three women” ~THE WASHINGTON POST ‘Best Dance of 2021’
Concept, Lead Choreography and Direction: Ashwini Ramaswamy Co-Choreography: Berit Ahlgren and Alanna Morris Original Musical Compositions (pre-recorded score): Brent Arnold, Jace Clayton, and Prema Ramamurthy with additional compositions and score development by Rohan Krishnamurthy, Roopa Mahadevan and Arun Ramamurthy Lighting Design: Mat Terwilliger Technical Director/On-site Lighting: Joe Levasseur Costumes: Shanti Taylors and Carole Bruns Couture Let the Crows Come is commissioned by The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra’s Liquid Music Series and is made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts' National Dance Project and the MAP Fund (both supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation),and was developed in part during residencies at the Baryshnikov Arts Center (New York, NY), and the National Center for Choreography at the University of Akron (OH).
“My work negotiates the multiple cultural planes where many of us exist; being from two distinct cultures is the energizing tension in my choreographic process. Like a phantom limb, my Indian ancestry lingers with me, informing my artistic work and daily interactions; my upbringing in both India and the U.S. has encouraged an aesthetic perspective with a hybrid compass. Evoking the timelessness of mythography and the cyclical essence of ancestry, Let the Crows Come utilizes the metaphor of crows as messengers for the living and guides for the departed — and in the process explores how memory and homeland channel guidance and dislocation. Each artist has been specifically chosen for what they bring to the stage, and in creating this work we have communicated one-on-one and collectively to bring this project to life. I developed the visual language of Let the Crows Come from a variety of sources, including the epic poem Ramayana, second-century Tamil Sangam poetry, ancient Sanskrit texts and the Hindu ritual of Pitru Paksha. These sources allow us entry into a world where the human, the natural and the metaphysical — as well as past, present, and future — are forever engaged in sacred movement. I would like to thank the commissioner for this project, Kate Nordstrum/Liquid Music; my mentors/family members Ranee Ramaswamy and Aparna Ramaswamy, who are always willing to offer advice and guidance - our shared trust in each other's ideas and insights is the foundation of our artistic practice; and our guru in Chennai, India, Smt. Alarmél Valli, who has provided us with an art form and aesthetic direction that makes every creative endeavor possible.” ~ Ashwini Ramaswamy
Dance
Bharatanatyam is a living, breathing movement language with which to speak about the contemporary human experience. Originating in southeastern India and used for thousands of years to embody universal history via cosmogony, myth, legend and history — Bharatanatyam has evolved into a potent tool with which to mediate between the spiritual and physical worlds. Let the Crows Come weaves together three dance solos for three distinct dancers: Ashwini selected Alanna Morris (trained in Modern and African Diasporic dance forms) and Berit Ahlgren (trained in Gaga technique) to deconstruct, extrapolate and retrograde Bharatanatyam into unique movement paradigms.
Music
Let the Crows Come evolved from a simple observation; when a DJ remixes a song, he/she/they maintains its essence while changing its trajectory. For Ashwini, this mutation is reminiscent of being a second-generation immigrant — a person that has been culturally remixed to fit into multiple places at once. Reflecting the three dancers and three sections, the original, recorded score, by three composers — Jace Clayton (aka DJ /rupture), Prema Ramamurthy (south Indian Carnatic), and Brent Arnold (electro-acoustic cello) — is played by a hybrid musical ensemble of Carnatic classical, western classical and electronic musicians. The soundscape evolves with the movement, evoking a memory that has a shared origin but is remembered differently from person to person.
Ritual In Hinduism, there is a belief that crows play a major role in linking the living to the dead. In this sense, they bring to vivid life the spirits of the past. Pitru Paksha (meaning fortnight of the ancestors) is a period when Hindus pay tribute to their ancestors so that the departed souls can rest in peace. After burning a mixture of sandalwood and camphor, rice is offered to the crows. This single ritualistic practice is a microcosm of the supernatural relationship between the physical and non-physical worlds. Source Texts
The Ramayana - The Hindu epic poem Ramayana is one of the largest epics in world literature, with multiple meanings to unravel and compositional layers to decipher. One interpretation contains an origin story of the crow and its role as an emissary between worlds. Brihatsamhita and Kakajarita - The Brihatsamhita, by Hindu polymath Varahamihira, is an encyclopedic book covering wide ranging subjects including divination, astronomy, planetary movements, eclipses, rainfall, clouds, architecture, crops, matrimony and rituals. Kakajarita is an ancient Sanskrit text that foretells coming events through careful attention to the cries, flight patterns, and behavior of crows. Tamil Sangam literature - The Sangam poets of South India believed that human emotions directly reflect their surrounding environments; the first poem in Let the Crows Come uses the call of the crow to signal the return of a departed relative or loved one; the second is interpreted by Ashwini as a message of tolerance from the ancestors to future generations.
About the Performers ASHWINI RAMASWAMY (lead choreographer/dancer) has spent over 30 years studying Bharatanatyam from her gurus – her mother Ranee Ramaswamy, sister Aparna Ramaswamy, and the legendary Smt. Alarmél Valli of Chennai, India. THE NEW YORK TIMES describes Ashwini as “weaving together, both fearfully and joyfully, the human and the divine…there is a continual flow of energy coursing through her limbs.” As a founding member of Ragamala Dance Company, she has toured extensively, performing throughout the U.S. and in Russia, Taiwan, Indonesia, Japan, the U.K, and India. Ashwini has received commissions from the SPCO’s Liquid Music Series, American Dance Platform, Macalester College, and Great Northern Festival; residencies at the Baryshnikov Arts Center (NYC), UNC Chapel Hill (North Carolina), Kohler Arts Center (Sheyboygan, WI), the National Center for Choreography (Akron, OH), and the Bogliasco Foundation (Bogliasco, Italy); support from the National Dance Project, MAP Fund, USArtists International, Minnesota State Arts Board, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, South Asian Arts Resiliency Fund, a Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship, and McKnight Foundation Artist Fellowships for Dance and Choreography. Her choreography has been listed among the ‘Best of the Year’ in The Washington Post, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Minnpost, and Big Dance Town. As a 2019 City Pages ‘Artist of the Year, Ashwini's work was highlighted for ‘illuminating Bharatanatyam’s future.” She is currently touring Let the Crows Come nationally in the 2021-2022 season. www.ashwiniramaswamy.com
JACE CLAYTON (composer, DJ) is an artist and writer based in Manhattan, also known for his work as DJ/rupture. Clayton uses an interdisciplinary approach to focus on how sound, civic agency, and public space interact. Clayton has performed in over three dozen countries, both solo and as ensemble director, and he gives frequent artist talks worldwide. His book Uproot: Travels in 21st Century Music and Digital Culture was published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Clayton serves on the Music faculty of Bard College’s Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts and is a Visiting Lecturer at Harvard University. Native to St. Paul, MN, BERIT AHLGREN (co-choreographer/ dancer) trained at Minnesota Dance Theater with both Loyce and Lise Houlton. A founding member of TU Dance under the artistic directorship of Toni Pierce-Sands and Uri Sands, Ahlgren performed with the company 2006 -2016. Receiving Metropolitan Regional Art Council’s Next Step Grant in 2011, Ahlgren had the opportunity to study the Gaga Movement Language in Tel Aviv,and moved to Israel to pursue a year-long Gaga teacher certification. Returning to the U.S. in 2012, Ahlgren established Gaga classes in the Twin Cities, while guest teaching across the U.S. and abroad. Ahlgren obtained her MFA in Dance from NYU/Tisch School of the Arts in 2016, where she expanded her interests to film and technology, actively collaborating with NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP). Since then, Ahlgren has diversified her work through freelance projects, performing works by Jerome Bel, Ashwini Ramaswamy, Carl Flink, and Helen Hatch, as well as collaborating with film makers Katie Sadler, J.J. Kaiser, and Robert Uehlin, and theater directors, Nathan Keepers, Randy Reyes, and Luverne Seifert. Ahlgren established HoneyWorks in 2019, a dance
organization to house interdisciplinary work, under which she has choreographed for Minneapolis based Southern Theater (2019) and Cowles Center (2021), and selfproduced productions funded by Minnesota State Arts Board Creative Support for Organizations (2021). BRENT ARNOLD (Solo cello & electronics performance / Scoring for film, theater, and dance / Producer of records and audio art) In addition to dozens of works for solo cello and electronics, Brent has written numerous pieces for concert, film, theater, and dance, combining classical and non-Western elements with electronic processing and improvisation. He has toured as a solo artist in North America, Europe, and Japan. His most recent solo album, Night, Exquisite, was called “a journey” and “a beautiful record” by Vice magazine and “Cinematic and lushly coherent” by Time Out New York. He is currently music director for the live performances of Robert A. A. Lowe's score to Nia DaCosta's film Candyman. brentarnoldmusic.com Indian American percussionist, composer, and educator ROHAN KRISHNAMURTHY (composer, percussion – mridangam, khanjira, ghatam) is one of the leading voices of Indian classical and cross-genre music in the South Asian diaspora. Acclaimed a "musical ambassador" by The Times of India, he received mridangam training from the esteemed Indian guru, Sri. Guruvayur Dorai. Distinguished as a soloist, composer, and collaborator, Rohan performed with legendary Indian classical musicians and cross-over artists. His latest offering includes The Alaya Project, an Indo-jazz-funk experiment with world jazz luminaries Prasant Radhakrishnan (saxophone) and Colin Hogan (keyboard/accordion). Ensemble in Residence at the Center for New Music in San Francisco, The Alaya Project features driving hybrid kit grooves, soulful Ragas and melodies, and a jazz-infused harmonic bedrock. A celebrated educator, Rohan received a Ph.D. in musicology from the Eastman School of Music in New
York. He has taught at renowned institutions, including Eastman, Harvard, Berklee College of Music, A.R. Rehman’s K.M. Conservatory of Music (India), Munich Conservatory (Germany), Kyoto University, Society for Ethnomusicology, and Percussive Arts Society International Convention. Rohan is the recipient of prestigious awards including recent commissions from the San Francisco Arts Commission, Zellerbach Foundation, and Goethe Institute (Germany). He received a patent for his drum tuning system, which is available worldwide. ROOPA MAHADEVEN (composer, vocals) is a leading second-generation Indian classical and crossover vocalist in the American diaspora, known for her powerful, emotive voice, versatility, and collaborative spirit. She leads the crossover ensemble Roopa in Flux, where she works with musicians in jazz, soul, and R&B, directs the innovative choir Navatman Music Collective, and sings for leading Bharatanatyam & modern dancers. Roopa also brings a critical commentary, humor, and authenticity to her work, often invoking her talents in dance and theater. Roopa received Carnatic training under Asha Ramesh and further under Suguna Varadachari through the Fulbright scholarship. Roopa has performed in diverse venues such as Chennai's Music Academy during the December festival, Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana, which awarded her the title Kala Ratna, Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, MET Museum, Chicago Cultural Center, and Hollywood Bowl, among others. She is a soloist on several albums, including Christopher Tin’s Grammy Award-winning Calling All Dawns, and has been chosen for residencies at the Banff Center for Arts and Creativity, Hedgebrook, and Mass MOCA. Roopa released her album Roopa in Six Yards: a Carnatic Playlist in 2019 and is currently a member of the prestigious Joe's Pub Working Group. In a previous avatar, Roopa worked in public health policy, following degrees from Stanford University.
ALANNA MORRIS (co-choreographer/dancer) is a Dancer-Choreographer, Educator, and Artist Organizer excavating cultural retention and fragmentation within their Caribbean diasporic identity. Morris-Van Tassel was a featured performer with TU Dance from 2007-2017. In 2020 they served as the company's Artistic Associate and is a founding Teaching Artist at The School at TU Dance Center in Saint Paul since 2011. Alanna is currently an Artistic Advisor to Springboard Danse Montreal. In 2018, they were named Dance Magazine’s 25 to Watch! Alanna is a 2015 McKnight Dance Fellow, City Pages’ Artist of the Year and Best Choreographer (2019). Morris-Van Tassel is the Artistic Director of AMVTP, founded in 2017 to produce dance, education and community-building initiatives. Morris-Van Tassel's choreography has been commissioned by Minnesota Dance Theatre, Penumbra Theatre, Children's Theatre Co.; the Dance Department at Carleton College and The Cowles Center. They are currently developing a collaborative solo performance art project, Black Light_mysteries and manifestations of the creative life force, which explores the nobility of black-ness, the divinity of the feminine energy, and the harnessing of sensual expression. A multi-year project, its next iteration will be featured at The Great Northern Festival in February 2022. This Spring, Morris-Van Tassel joined the dance faculty at Bard College as a Guest Teaching Artist through Gibney Dance (NY). They were recently awarded a 2021 McKnight Choreographers Fellowship. Alanna is a graduate of The Juilliard School and LaGuardia High School for Music & Art and Performing Arts (NY). She is thrilled to be developing a new work with Ashwini Ramaswamy and Collaborators, Invisible Cities, to premiere in 2023. www.alannamvt.com
ARUN RAMAMURTHY (composer, violin) is a multifaceted violinist, composer and educator based in Brooklyn, NY, and is a disciple of the celebrated Carnatic violinist brothers, Sri Mysore Nagaraj & Dr. Mysore Manjunath and the esteemed violinist Sri Ananthakrishnan. He has distinguished himself as a versatile artist, performing internationally in both traditional Carnatic and Hindustani settings as well as bridging genres with his own innovative projects like the acclaimed Arun Ramamurthy Trio and Nakshatra with violinist and wife Trina Basu. He has shared the stage with artists like Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna, Sudha Ragunathan, Reggie Workman, Amir ElSaffar, Adam Rudolph, Marc Cary among others. Arun's music has brought him prestigious stages like Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Celebrate Brooklyn and more. Arun is co-founder of Brooklyn Raga Massive, a globally recognized collective of forward thinking musicians rooted-in and inspired-by the classical music of India. Through BRM, Arun has curated and performed in a multitude of concerts bringing together music from all over the world. www.arunramamurthy.com PREMA RAMAMURTHY (Carnatic composer) Prema Ramamurthy has been an outstanding vocalist and composer for more than four decades. She received intensive training under maestro Padmavibhushan Dr. Mangalampalli Balamurali Krishna, specialized in the art of Pallavi singing from Vidwan Sri T. V. Gopalakrishnan, and learned the art of singing Padams and Javalis from Mrs. T. Muktha. She has won critical acclaim as a composer and has performed in many of the top venues and festivals of India, the U.S., Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Australia, Mexico and South Africa.
Sponsors Tonight’s performance is part of Dance in Albany, a joint series presented by the UAlbany Performing Arts Center and The Egg UALBANY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER PAC, 266 518-442-3995 www.albany.edu/pac THE EGG Empire State Plaza 518-473-1061 www.theegg.org
Tonight’s performance is made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. NEW ENGLAND FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS 145 Tremont Street, 7th Floor, Boston, MA 02111 617-951-0010 www.nefa.org
Additional support is provided by the University at Albany Foundation, University Auxiliary Services and UAlbany’s StAR Program.. UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY FOUNDATION University Administration Building, 226 518-437-5090 www.albany.edu/uafoundation
UNIVERSITY AUXILIARY SERVICES University Administration Building, 232 518-442-5950 www.albany.edu/uas
PERFORMING ARTS CENTER HOUSE POLICIES Latecomers will be seated at the discretion of the management and its staff. . The use of photographic or recording devices of any kind during this performance is strictly prohibited. . There is no food or drink allowed in the theatres, nor is smoking allowed in UAlbany buildings. . To avoid disrupting the performance, kindly disable any noise making electronic devices you may have with you. . Please take time to note the location of the fire exits nearest to you. In the event of an emergency, please proceed to the nearest exit in an orderly fashion and follow the directions of our staff.
Created and produced by the University Art Museum, NYS Writers Institute and UAlbany Performing Arts Center in collaboration with WAMC Public Radio, this popular series features leading figures from a variety of artistic disciplines in conversation about their creative inspirations, their craft and their careers. “Roundtable” host Joe Donahue conducts live on-stage interviews followed by a Q&A with the audience.
Dance
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April 22 at The Egg
Garth Fagan Dance
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