Asian American Press, News Report, Posted: Aug 01, 2012

President Barack Obama last week announced his intent to nominate Ranee Ramaswamy as a Member of the National Council on the Arts.

Ramaswamy is Founder and Co-Artistic Director of the Ragamala Dance Company in Minneapolis. She has been a master choreographer, performer, and teacher of Bharatanatyam dance since 1978, and earned a B.A. in Fine Arts from the University of Madras, India.

Ramaswamy’s work has been commissioned by the Walker Art Center, 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, India.

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” with co-director Aparna Ramaswamy by the Minneapolis StarTribune.

The President also announced intentions to nominate seven individuals to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council. They include Tom A. Bernstein, Amy Friedkin, Susan E. Lowenberg, Deborah A. Oppenheimer, Cheryl Peisach, Richard S. Price, and Elliot J. Schrage.

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