Navarathri
Ranee Ramaswamy project : 2015
Bringing the Arts from Home to Community,” highlighting the Indian festival its central concepts of tradition, creation, and sharing through a celebration of art and community. Offered free and open to the public, this project will reflect Ragamala Dance company’s mission of combining tradition and innovation in all its work.
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
In the southern Indian region of Tamil Nadu, Navarathri is an occasion for families to transform their homes into community gathering places where neighbors are welcomed and all come together to invoke the arts.
At the center of the celebration in every home is a display of figurines called Bommai Golu —artistically rendered figurines made of hand-painted clay, arranged on a structure of ascending steps laid out in multiples of three. Each family has its own collection, assembled over generations. The surrounding room is decorated with Kolams—floor drawings made with rice flour. In India there is divinity in all things, Annapurna the goddess of food is part of all celeberations. specially-prepared snacks specified traditionally —different on each night—are shared with guests.
The sharing of art is at the heart of Navarathri celebrations. Visual arts, music, dance, storytelling, culinary arts all shared. Guests of all ages are invited to share classical music and dance in a communal celebration in which everyone is allowed to be a vehicle for the arts.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Ragamala will transform the stage of the Landmark Center’s Weyerhaeuser Auditorium into a South Indian living room at Navarathri time. Kolam designs will decorate the floor, surrounding a communal seating area with a cleared space for informal performances.
A nine-tiered display will feature three rows of traditional figurines brought from India by Ragamala. For the remaining tiers, we will reach out to friends—both from the Indian community and artists of all backgrounds—to contribute their own traditional and or created contemporary pieces.
Guests will be invited to an open house-style gathering between 4 and 7pm. Ragamala’s young dance students, dressed in traditional clothing, will welcome people into the space .
James Beard Award-winning Twin Cities chef Raghavan Iyer—known for his ability to speak eloquently about the interconnectedness of food and ritual in India—will prepare and share the snacks traditionally offered to guests at Navarathri.
Local elders will be invited to share stories about figurines from the display, bringing to life their symbolism and myth, and drawing parallels with present-day life.
In the spirit of Navarathri, we will invite guests who wishes to participate to share a short performance of any art of their choice. This will be open to all—youth and adults of all cultures and backgrounds, celebrated artists alongside people who have never performed in public. Music and dance forms from all cultures will be encouraged. Ragamala company members and students from the Ragamala School will also present performances, highlighting Ragamala’s commitment to passing on our art form of Bharatanatyam to the next generation. In addition, we will specifically invite our fellow artists from the Indian community dance and music schools —professionals and amateurs, youth and adults—to share their art.
Since it is our first time this project requires detailed planning. Those wishing to participate will be asked to RSVP, citing the day and time they plan to come to the event. When they arrive, they will be seated in the “living room” on stage. Between performances, guests will be free to come up on stage to for a closer look at the Kolams and Bommai Golu. Volunteers will be present to talk about the displays and the traditions surrounding Navarathri.
The last night will conclude with a communal gharba—an exciting, high-energy folk dance. Everyone will be invited to get up on stage, where community members Shanthi Shah and Stefan Peterson will teach the basic steps before inviting all to join and enjoy. Ranee Ramaswamy and Aparna Ramaswamy, who grew up celebrating Navarathri at home, will lead the project. Volunteers from the Indian community will take an active role as consultants in planning the project, advising on the decoration of the space, sharing performances, and sharing their own figurines to be displayed.
In its inaugural year, the event will run three days (October 16-18, 2015). In its second year, it is our goal to expand the event to run all nine nights of the festival (October 1-9, 2016).