CHILDREN OF DHARMA Coming to Coppell Arts Center in April

Ragamala Dance Company's Children of Dharma is coming to Coppell Arts Center on Friday April 25 at 8 PM. The performance explores life—forever sprouting, transforming, dissolving, and renewing—through three characters from the Hindu epic The Mahabharata. These myths reveal the power of ancient cultures to reaffirm humanity’s relationship with nature and the sacred. Tickets are $45 and can be purchased at CoppellArtsCenter.org or through the Arts Center box office at 972-304-7047. 

Children of Dharma was created by mother-daughters Bharatanatyam artists Aparna Ramaswamy, Ranee Ramaswamy, and Ashwini Ramaswamy. The performance is a Northrop Centennial Commission that builds upon decades of the company’s pioneering work centering ancestral wisdom, artistic excellence, and creativity to contextualize the immigrant experience. Ragamala continues to “show how Indian forms can be some of the most transcendent experiences that dance has to offer” (The New York Times) by upholding dance as a spiritual practice that can inspire, heal, and transform communities.

The work provokes a visceral response to crises over the ages, from environmental devastation and oppression to unjust wars. Why does war unleash the animal in man? What have we done to our relationship with the natural world? Through lush visual imagery, an original recorded score, and poetic movement integrating intimate solos with powerful ensemble choreography performed by seven dancers, Children of Dharma reveals the power of ancient cultures to unearth some of the most enduring questions of conscience facing humanity.

Ragamala Dance Company was founded in 1992 by Ranee Ramaswamy, and is under the leadership of Co-Artistic Director Ranee Ramaswamy and Executive Artistic Director Aparna Ramaswamy, and Choreographic Associate Ashwini Ramaswamy. Rooted in the South Indian dance form of Bharatanatyam, the company has been hailed by The New York Times as “soulful, imaginative, and rhythmically contagious.”

ABOUT THE COPPELL ARTS CENTER

The Coppell Arts Center is located at 505 Travis Street, Coppell, TX 75019. The Center is part of Coppell's 30-year-plan to present nationally touring shows and be the new home for its five resident art companies: The Ballet Ensemble of Texas, Coppell Community Chorale, Coppell Creatives, Coppell Community Orchestra, and Theatre Coppell. Located in the heart of Old Town Coppell, the city's retail and entertainment district, the Center serves as the anchoring entertainment venue and fills a need expressed by Coppell residents to provide gathering spaces, a nightlife scene, cultural opportunities, and amenities for Coppell residents and visitors. The 30,000 square-foot Center boasts six versatile spaces for a diverse mix of performance styles, exhibits, and entertainment, including a 442-seat main hall to host a variety of performances and productions from concerts, to touring productions, orchestral music, and corporate events; a 120-seat black box theater designed for intimate theatrical productions, art exhibitions, and special events; a 2,000-square foot multi-purpose reception hall to host art exhibits, events, meetings, and nightlife; and The Grove Performance Plaza to serve as an outdoor community space for special events and performances with views of Old Town Coppell. For more information, visit CoppellArtsCenter.org or follow the Coppell Arts Center on Facebook or Instagram. Join the conversation by following #coppellartscenter and #oldtowncoppell.