President Barack Obama has nominated Ranee Ramaswamy, an Indian-American
master teacher and performer of Bharatanatyam since 1978, as a member
of the prestigious National Council on the Arts.
Founder and
co-artistic director of the Ragamala Dance Company, Ramaswamy has been a
disciple of Alarmel Valli, one of India's greatest living masters since
1984.
Announcing her nomination along with half a dozen other
key administration posts, Obama said in a statement: "These dedicated
and accomplished individuals will be valued additions to my
administration as we tackle the important challenges facing America. I
look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead."
Ramaswamy's
work has been commissioned by the Walker Art Centre, American Composers
Forum, and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and has been supported by
the National Dance Project and the Joyce Foundation.
Her tours
have been highlighted by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the
American Dance Festival, and the National Centre for Performing Arts in
Mumbai.
Ramaswamy has worked with celebrated artists such as
poet Robert Bly, jazz musician Howard Levy, legendary composer/violinist
L. Subramaniam, the Cudamani ensemble (Bali, Indonesia) and Wadaiko
Ensemble Tokara (Nagano, Japan).
Among her numerous grants and
awards are 14 McKnight Fellowships, a Bush Foundation Choreography
Fellowship, and an Artist Exploration Fund grant from Arts
International.
She is the recipient of the 2011 McKnight
Distinguished Artist Award and was named "2011 Artist of the Year" by
the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
She earned a BA in Fine Arts from the University of Madras.
Obama names Indian-American to national arts council
