RAGAMALA DANCE is a nationally and internationally acclaimed company that unfolds the beauty, elegance, poetry, and driving rhythmic complexities of Bharatanatyam, the ancient classical dance of southern India. Artistic Directors Ranee and Aparna Ramaswamy bring to audiences a synthesis of the philosophy, mythology, and spirituality of India. With each new project, they push the boundaries of Bharatanatyam and strive to answer the question of what it means to be 21st century choreographers working within a classical, culturally-based tradition.

Sacred Earth brings two rich and ancient Indian visual art traditions-Warli paintings and Kolam rice flour drawings-into conversation with Bharatanatyam, the classical dance of Southern India. Performed against large-scale painted panels by master folk artist Anil Chaitya Vangad, Sacred Earth transforms the stage into a sacred space and invokes a deep connection to the Earth.

The presentation of Ragamala Dance, Sacred Earth was made possible by the MetLife Community Connections Fund of the New England Foundation for the Arts' National Dance Project. Major support for NDP is also provided by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation with additional support from the Andrew W. Melon Foundation and the Boeing Company Charitable Trust.